Congratulations Class of 2024

"Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your well-deserved success! The entire community—faculty, house officers, and staff—at the VMTH celebrates your achievement of earning the DVM degree. Your journey has been marked by dedication and resilience, qualities that will define your future in veterinary medicine. As you step into this noble profession, know that you are poised to make a profound difference in the lives of animals and communities. We eagerly look forward to working with you as colleagues and referring veterinarians, supporting each other to enhance the care we provide. Whether near or far, your contributions will continue to elevate our shared mission. Embrace your potential, inspire change, and continue to make us proud. Best wishes for a remarkable career ahead."

–Dr. Michael Mison, CVMO.

VMTH Treats Cancer in Dog of Olympic Champion and Actor/Singer Star Couple

When Hunter, a 9-year-old cocker spaniel, was diagnosed with apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma, his owners—Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano and actor/singer Franc D’Ambrosio—turned to Dr. Michael Kent and the Oncology Service. Dr. Kent conferred with Dr. Bill Culp of the Soft Tissue Surgery Service, who worked with resident Dr. Amy Downey to successfully remove the tumor. Dr. Kent will continue to monitor Hunter to ensure his lymph nodes remain clean and there is not a recurrence of the cancer. Boitano will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s 75th Anniversary Gala on June 29.

Alumnus Helps Students Explore Livestock Careers

Alumnus Dr. Sam Barringer (DVM ’91) was named the 2023 Consultant of the Year by the Academy of Veterinary Consultants. Being named the top beef consultant in the U.S. comes with an award honorarium presented by Zoetis. To help future livestock veterinarians reach their career goals, Dr. Barringer chose to donate the award money to the UC Davis Summer Livestock Externship Program, where first- and second-year DVM students explore four weeks of summer externships with livestock veterinarians to gain hands-on, career-shaping experience with livestock producers and veterinarians.

Faculty Update:

• Welcome Dr. Peter Delisser as an associate professor in the Soft Tissue Surgery Service. Dr. Delisser received his BVSc (2002) with 1st Class Honours and Dean’s Commendations at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He then worked in private practice in Australia and the United Kingdom for five years. He completed a one-year internship (2008) at Davies Veterinary Specialists, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and a surgical residency (2012) at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, then earned Diplomate status (2013) in the European College of Veterinary Surgeons. He received his PhD (2019) in Bone Mechanobiology from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Dr. Delisser joins UC Davis from a private surgical practice in Australia.

Staff Update:

• Welcome Raffi Miranda as a supervisor in Large Animal Critical Care. Raffi joined the team back in 2019 as a volunteer with the undergraduate UC Davis Foal Team to expand his experience with equine companions while working on his Animal Science degree. He has continued to shine ever since, working his way up as a career technician in Equine Critical Care and Internal Medicine Services. During his free time, Raffi enjoys spending time outdoors, arts and crafts, singing and playing guitar in a mariachi band, and spending time with his pets, friends, and family.

• Congratulations Marcos Contreras, PharmD, director of the VMTH Pharmacy, on being the recipient of the Richard C. Dorf Award for Academic Excellence for the Sacramento MBA Class of 2024. The selection was based on his outstanding academic performance as a student at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. The award will be presented to Contreras at the 2024 GSM Evening of Excellence Awards Ceremony on June 2.

Trainer’s Corner with Jody Nugent-Deal



It’s almost summer already. Our monthly CE focus for June will be animal welfare and shelter medicine in multiple species. Interested in learning more about shelter medicine? Check out the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program. Have you visited our VMTH Staff Training and CE website recently? Each month, new links for webinars, podcasts, and articles/blogs are posted and cover a wide range of topics in large, small, and exotic animal medicine. Starting this month, we have also added DEI and leadership categories. All CE is free and much of it is RACE approved. Are you looking for specific training in your service or want to discuss CE you would like to see in upcoming months? If so, please shoot me an email at jpnugent@ucdavis.edu or visit my office in VMTH, room 2027A.

Recognitions

May's recipients of the VPETT Recognition Award:

Allison Dean – hospital laboratory technician

Diagnostic Imaging Service

“On a late Sunday night, a newborn puppy was surrendered to the VMTH. We were able to find a rescue for the puppy but needed a willing driver to take the puppy all the way to Lincoln – an hour away. Ally kindly agreed to transport this precious puppy to her foster home in Lincoln after work, and everyone in the Emergency Room was so grateful to her for getting the puppy safely to her medical foster. Thank you, Ally.”

Devona Ketchum – animal health technician

Surgery Services

“Devona volunteered to cover our weekend technician shift. Not only was she so helpful with a neurosurgical case, but she also helped out with an emergency pyometra as well as an emergency amputation site exploration case. Her dedication to providing exceptional patient care for these emergency cases is wonderful. Thank you so much.”

Thank you, Allison and Devona, for your hard work and dedication to the VMTH. Amanda Dang and Megan Loscar also received awards for recognizing their fellow employees.

Please utilize the PerfectForm icon link available on every VMTH desktop (or through VIPER>VMTH>Forms>VPETT) to recognize your colleagues’ hard work.

Featured Case

Squid, a 5-year-old female husky/terrier mix, survived carbon monoxide poisoning after being trapped in a house fire. City of Davis Fire Department firefighters were first on scene to administer lifesaving oxygen before she was brought to the VMTH Emergency Room. Following five days of hospitalization and treatment from the Emergency and Critical Care, Ophthalmology, Cardiology, and Neurology Services, she was discharged home. She continues to improve toward a full recovery. Squid is owned by Dr. Allison O'Donnell (DVM ’23) and her fiancé Matt Cardinale.

Wellness Tip of the Month with Florence Soares-Dabalos



Florence Soares-Dabalos, MS, LMFT, the VMTH’s client support and wellness professional, offers a brief tip on managing stress through the current crisis. Please see full website of services that Florence offers, including a section on House Officer Wellness.

• As we exit Mental Health Awareness Month, June holds Juneteenth and Pride Month, as well as being the month for PTSD Awareness and Men's Health Awareness Month. A list of resources for June's event can be found here.