Livestock Services Represented at AABP Conference

Faculty and staff recently gathered at the annual American Association of Bovine Practitioners conference, held this year in Long Beach. Led by Large Animal Clinic Director Dr. Bret McNabb, several members of the Livestock Medicine & Surgery Service and the Livestock Herd Health & Reproduction Service attended the event and hosted an alumni reception. The hospital was also well represented with a booth in the exposition hall to promote clinical and laboratory services, as well as residency and graduate programs. This is the first year the VMTH has been represented in this capacity at AABP, and all who attended agreed it was an overwhelming success.

Staff Update:

• Please welcome Anissa Nachman as the new Hospital Administrator. Anissa has been with UC Davis since 2011. She has served as the Chief Financial Officer for Intercollegiate Athletics since 2017, where she managed its budget and business operations, as well as its human resources, equipment, and information technology units, and oversaw several teams. From 2011 through 2016, Anissa worked as a budget analyst and then director in Budget and Institutional Analysis. Previously, she served as Legislative Director and Budget Consultant for the California State Senate and Budget Analyst for the California Department of Finance. Anissa has a BS in Economics from Colgate University and a Master’s in Public Policy from UC Berkeley. She resides in Davis with her husband and daughter and their two cats. She also spends an inordinate amount of time with her horse.

• Please welcome Mauricio Barba as the new Financial Services Supervisor. Mauricio considers Davis his hometown even though he was born in Leon, Mexico. Some of the fondest memories from his youth were formed on the UC Davis campus watching Battle of the Bands, Doxie Derby, and the Police Dog Show. After graduating from Davis High School, he attended Sacramento State University, where he earned a BS in Business Administration (Finance). He finds his new role with VMTH to be a great opportunity to build on his prior experience as a Financial Analyst and one that aligns with his current coursework as he pursues a Master’s in Finance. In his free time, Mauricio enjoys exercising at California Family Fitness exercising, refueling on a plant-based meal, or attending a local music event.

• Please welcome Natalie Hughes as a new Client Services Supervisor for the Call Center. Natalie has been in the veterinary industry for more than 15 years. She has worked as a veterinary assistant and in the front office in private practice. She ventured into human medicine but knew the veterinary field was where she wanted to be. She started her journey at the VMTH in 2008, and years later she found herself in Client Services. She has worked after-hours reception and moved her way up to a lead role. When Natalie is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, her husband Julius and their son Lucas, as well as their three dogs and a cat. She loves watching her son play baseball and taking in a San Francisco Giants game. Natalie also enjoys hiking and camping. She is excited about growing within Client Services and transitioning into her new supervisory role.

• Please welcome Tessa Berg as the new Field Services Coordinator. Tessa has been working at the VMTH since 2016 in Client Services. She started in after-hours, has worked her way to the day shift, and most recently held the position of Lead Client Services Representative. She has been in the livestock and equine industry all her life and co-owns a small cattle ranch in Zamora with her uncle. In her spare time, Tessa tends to her 10-acre garden, where she grows produce to donate to local churches, as well as gives to her friends, family, and coworkers. Tessa looks forward to continuing to work in the Large Animal Clinic, getting to know their clients more thoroughly, and providing excellent customer service.

Faculty Update:

• Dr. Jane Sykes has edited and co-authored the Fifth Edition of Greene’s Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat. Long considered to be a seminal reference text in dog and cat infectious diseases, previous editions of the book are on bookshelves in specialty practices worldwide, and it is a resource for student and house officer training in nearly every veterinary school. Learn more

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 September.

September Recipients:

Amanda Xue, a resident in the Neurology/Neurosurgery Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Value People and One Team, which contributed to the key results of Excellence in Patient Care and Employee Engagement.

“When her resident-mate had to leave town urgently for an emergency, she helped organize flights, drove him to SFO, and took over all his patient care for the weekend. It ended up being a lot of work since some patients had significant complications. I always appreciate her attitude of just doing whatever needs to be done at the time to take care of patients or people. Thank you!”

Brenda Lieng, a technician in the Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Value People and One Team, which contributed to the key result of Excellence in Employee Engagement.

“Brenda has always enjoyed celebrating our staff. For years, she has coordinated birthday and holiday celebrations. Recently, she has worked on her own time to plan a weekend gathering for lab staff. All positive things that positively impact our staff. These gatherings not only promote ‘espirit de corp,’ but also helps promote workplace satisfaction.”

Thank you, Amanda and Brenda, for your hard work and dedication to the VMTH.

In addition, Sarah Blasczynski and Julie Burges also received awards for recognizing their colleagues’ hard work.

Key Cultural Pillar



“Realize Our Vision”

The Access To Care Program is quickly becoming a resource for many animals in our community that would normally not have access to veterinary services. Recently, the program treated many cats in need. Eight kittens from the Front Street Animal Shelter were treated as part of a UC Davis ringworm study. All eight were fostered by an employee. Their conditions included ringworm, severe URIs, fleas, lice, and even ruptured and infected eyes. In addition to Dr. Karen Vernau and Orphan Kitten Project, the kittens were also cared for by the Ophthalmology, Dermatology, and Community Surgery Services. Community outreach through Access To Care helps support our clinical research and student teaching programs by providing enrollees for clinical trials and valuable hands-on experience for our students. Another Access To Care patient, Rupert, recently benefited from multiple program entities and is now thriving in his new forever home.

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.

• As we move from Meaning or Purpose in the 5 Factors of Resiliency, the second factor is Self-care. Self-care doesn’t need to be meditation, therapy, or massage; it can be as simple as getting dressed to go to work, brushing your teeth, or even breathing as nature intended. Self-care is about taking care of one’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health. If it helps, think of things you’ve done today that can fall into one of those three categories. Give yourself credit for any self-care activities you’ve done today. If you want to develop a self-care plan, this 3-minute video provides concrete specifics on how to do so.