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Introductory Message
From the Hospital Administrator
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I am thrilled to be starting my new position as Hospital Administrator at the VMTH. This opportunity to combine personal and professional passions is an exciting new venture in my life. As an avid horsewoman and pet owner, I have seen firsthand what amazing capabilities this place holds, and I am honored to be part of its leadership team.
My horse, Night, has benefited tremendously from the regular wellness and management care he receives from the Large Animal Clinic, and my cats are no strangers to the excellent care in the Small Animal Clinic. As local pet owners, we are so fortunate to have the world-class knowledge and compassionate care of the VMTH’s clinicians and technicians right in our backyard. And now as a member of the team, I can see how that care positively impacts our community every day. As an animal lover, it brings me great joy to be able to help our faculty and staff provide that top-notch care.
I encourage all our faculty and staff to share with me their thoughts on the ways we can continue to positively build on the hospital’s culture. I want to position the VMTH as a place that everyone is eager to come to every day. My first days here have been inspiring, to say the least. How can we make it so that every day can be as exciting as someone’s Day 1 at the VMTH?
Facility wise, we’re entering an invigorating time at the hospital. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, many Veterinary Medical Center projects are happening around the complex. Going forward, I hope to make increased funding a priority for the hospital, so that our new and existing spaces will be filled with state-of-the-art equipment to match the unparalleled care that is a hallmark of the VMTH. I understand that construction interference can be frustrating, but the end results will greatly benefit our patients and clients and create exciting new workspaces for our clinical teams.
Coming out of Veterinary Technician Week, I was impressed with how the hospital celebrated these important staff members. You are extremely deserving of this recognition, and I look forward to finding new ways to honor your service to our patients and their families. I already see how impactful you are on a day-to-day basis of running this hospital. As one of the largest veterinary hospitals in the world, we truly could not do this without you, and we are fortunate to have every one of you as a dedicated member of our team.
Keep up the great work, everyone. I look forward to meeting all of you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time.
--Anissa Nachman
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Hospital Celebrates Veterinary Technician Week
The VMTH recently recognized the hard work and dedication of the technical staff with events and kudos during Veterinary Technician Week. Dr. Joshua Stern noted the techs’ exceptional, around-the-clock care for our patients without ego or expectation, and recognized how fortunate the hospital is to have each of them working here. Leadership showed its appreciation for the team with prizes, a popcorn/cotton candy event (video), snacks and giveaways, and daily recognitions on social media featuring many of the team members. THANK YOU to all our technicians for their tireless efforts that truly make a difference to the animals and families of our community.
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DOSS Wins National Awards
The Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service recently won awards at the 36th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum. Dr. Maria Soltero-Rivera received the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry Research Scholarship Award, and resident Dr. Janny Evenhuis received the Original Research Best Oral Presentation Award. Drs. Soltero-Rivera, Goldschmidt, and Arzi lectured at the conference, and residents Drs. Evenhuis, Kot, and Wolfs presented original research. Congratulations to all.
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COVID-19 Update:
- Updated COVID-19 protocols began in the VMTH on Monday, October 24. Masks will be encouraged, but optional, in all VMTH clinical spaces, as they are currently optional throughout campus. All employees will still be required to complete and pass the symptom survey. Clients will be required to take and pass a verbal symptom survey upon arrival (proof of vaccination is no longer mandated). The hospital will return to normal use of client waiting facilities and examination rooms. This new protocol aligns the VMTH with the majority of veterinary teaching hospitals in the nation, UCD main campus spaces, and all other UCD veterinary teaching facilities. The hospital will continue to provide a variety of mask options to meet our team's individual needs. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 positivity rates in the community and may have times of surges where masking is required of clients and/or our team members in the future. Vaccination mandates remain unchanged for employees and students.
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Staff Update:
- In recognition of Veterinary Technician Week, the VPETT committee held daily drawings to recognize VPETT nominees and awarded them with prizes. Congratulations to Ashlea Chavez, Sarah Ramm, Francisco Gonzales, Marie Hartman, James Thompson, Bianca Velasquez, and Eryca Sphar.
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Faculty Update:
- Several faculty members (and a resident) have recently appeared on podcasts that are well worth a listen. Veterinary Vertex is a weekly podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the clinical and research discoveries published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Journal of Veterinary Research. Additionally, the UC Davis podcast, Unfold, breaks down complicated problems and unfolds curiosity-driven research.
Veterinary Vertex:
Unfold:
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Recognitions
NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES TODAY
Recognize the hard work
your team performs every day.
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Please utilize the PerfectForm icon link available on every VMTH desktop (or through VIPER>VMTH>Forms>VPETT) to nominate your colleagues for recognition of an outstanding example of one of our five Cultural Pillars: Realize Our Vision, Value People, Pursue Excellence, One Team, Trusted Dialogue.
The Cultural Pillars Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the VPETT Recognition Award for the month of October.
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October Recipients:
Sheri Pendergraft, a technician in the Ophthalmology Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of One Team and Trusted Dialogue, which contributed to the key results of Excellence in Patient Care and Student Teaching.
“Sheri has worked to improve the daily flow for the Ophthalmology Service to improve its scheduling. Sheri has taken on many substantial projects to improve upon patient care and clinical instruction within the service. Thank you, Sheri!”
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Marcy Vaughn, a technician in the Neurology/Neurosurgery Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Realize Vision, Value People, One Team, and Trusted Dialogue, which contributed to the key results of Excellence in Patient Care, Client Satisfaction, and Employee Engagement.
“We are so happy that Marcy has officially joined the Neurology Service. She has stellar patient care and takes exceptional care of each and every one of our patients with a personal touch. This, combined with her sense of humor and ability to be efficient, means we are always so excited when she comes in to work for the day. Thank you so much for everything you do for the team! We couldn't do it without you.”
Thank you, Sheri and Marcy, for your hard work and dedication to the VMTH.
In addition, Christina Steckley and Michelle Bristow also received awards for recognizing their colleagues’ hard work.
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Key Cultural Pillar
“Value People”
A Letter From A Grateful Client:
“I am writing to let you know what wonderful treatment we received at UC Davis in July of this year. Our 15-month-old Vizsla Kobi, whom we had breed at home, developed difficulty urinating in late March. He had a long and complicated clinical course including cystoscopy at Sage Veterinary Hospital and bladder surgery at our primary veterinarian in Santa Rosa. The resulting biopsy from the surgery was read as inflammatory, but his symptoms recurred, and we were up against a wall as to what treatment was available. He eventually required a urinary catheter which kept him in the hospital for a week. We were fortunate to get into the VMTH after one of your previous residents attended our dog in Santa Rosa. That evening, we brought Kobi to the ER where he was placed under the care of (critical care specialists and Internal Medicine Service resident) Dr. Emma Cosaro. That night and the next day, he was evaluated, and it was determined that whatever the tumor was, it had spread throughout the bladder and was not reasonably treatable at this point. The decision was made to euthanize our dog, and Emma helped us through this. She was so compassionate and caring during this horrible time that I had to let you know what a star you have on your medical staff. I am an emergency physician, practicing medicine for nearly 50 years, and I truly understand how doctors like Emma make life better for patients. How she took care of us was special, so I wanted to share this with you. We greatly appreciated the time we spent with her.”
--Michael Rokeach, MD
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House Officers Enjoy Mixer
Thanks to Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health for supporting the House Officer Wellness (HOW) Program, we were able to host our 2nd Annual HOW Fall Mixer. We had a great evening social retreat after work to reconnect and revitalize. Our house officers work extremely hard, and these events are a great way for them to unwind and focus on their personal relationships from which they draw strength and the ability to help each other achieve their career and personal goals.
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Wellness Tip of the Month
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.
- Our latest series continues with the 3rd factor of resiliency: Relationships! Relationships among friends, family, and colleagues can support us during times of stress and change. Positive relationships have been known to be a protective factor against depression and anxiety. It’s not always easy, though, to create and maintain relationships with busy schedules. So how do we build community? One way is to check in with each other during service rounds or staff meetings, attend VMTH events, or simply say hello or give a smile while walking down the halls. If you’re looking to build your network of support outside of the VMTH, my friend and colleague, James Guay, LMFT, offers a series on creating and maintaining friendships on his website. And don’t forget your animals! Animals also can help us through the stressful times of life.
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