As Featured in Comstock’s

The VMTH was featured prominently in a special supplement to Comstock’s magazine that celebrated the school’s 75^th anniversary. Comstock’s is one of the premier monthly publications in the Sacramento area offering intriguing insight into the region’s businesses and quality of life. Enjoy this history of the school’s innovative care, along with the impacts made locally, nationally, and internationally.

Dr. Boaz Arzi Delivers Inspiring Podcast Listen

“When you start working in biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine in general, you see that you are going to do things that you thought were impossible, and they actually work,” said Dr. Boaz Arzi, chief of the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service. This was just a small sampling of the inspiring session he delivered on the Veterinary Voices podcast.

Dentistry Team Receives National Awards

Faculty and residents from the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service received several awards and certificates at the Veterinary Dental Forum (VDF) held recently in Louisville. Hosted by a combination of the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry, the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, and the American Veterinary Dental College, VDF is the largest veterinary dental conference in the world. Congratulations to all.

Staff Update:

• Thank you to Andrea Lynch, RVT, in CAPE for suggesting that the VMTH participate in the Polycarbin Nitrile Glove Recycling Program. Thanks to her initiative, there will be ten Polycarbin recycling containers set up throughout the hospital. The bins are bright purple and hard to miss. Please note that the bins are for nitrile exam gloves only, and we cannot recycle: hazardous waste, pathological or surgical waste, infectious waste, viral waste, spore-forming bacteria waste, human/animal tissue waste, and fecal, urine, or saliva samples. The VMTH goes through hundreds of thousands of gloves per year, and diverting even a small percentage could mean recycling thousands of gloves. 

Faculty Update:

• Three VMTH faculty members were recently honored at the annual Fall Faculty Reception: Dr. Julie Dechant - Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award; Dr. Hugues Beaufrere - Innovation in Teaching Award; and Dr. Lynelle Johnson - Boehringer-Ingelheim Research Mentoring Award. Congratulations to all.

• Drs. Jonathan Dear and Mike Ziccardi were recently appointed co-directors of the Access to Care program for a one-year period. They serve as leaders to this newly created umbrella organizational structure for the Orphan Kitten Project, Covelo Clinic, Knights Landing One Health Clinic, and the Fracture Program for Rescue Animals, as well as the VMTH's care for animals burned in wildfires. The Shelter Medicine and Community Surgery Services also collaborate with the ATC programs. Dr. Dear will lead clinical practice work, and Dr. Ziccardi will focus on leadership of off-campus activities.

• Dr. Michael Kent received the American College of Veterinary Radiology (ACVR) 2023 Distinguished Service Award, presented recently at the annual ACVR conference held in New Orleans. Professor Kent is chief of the Radiation Oncology Service, as well as director of the School’s Center for Companion Animal Health. The award is presented to an ACVR member for appreciation of their altruistic service, dedication, commitment, and passion for the organization. Congratulations, Dr. Kent.

• Please welcome Dr. Tessa LeCuyer as an assistant professor of Clinical Microbiology. Dr. LeCuyer earned her DVM (2013) and combined clinical microbiology residency and PhD (2018) from Washington State University. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship (2018-2019) with the HBNU Fogarty Global Health Training Program. In 2019, Dr. LeCuyer was awarded diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists with certification in bacteriology/mycology and virology. Prior to coming to UC Davis, Dr. LeCuyer was a clinical assistant professor (2019-2023) at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research focuses on infectious disease diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance.

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 November.

November Recipients:

Nikki Rochin, an animal health technician in the Ophthalmology Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Pursue Excellence and One Team, which contributed to the key results of Excellence in Patient Care, Employee Engagement, and Fiscal Health.

“Nikki took the initiative to go through all our surgical instrument kits to adjust what instruments are utilized in each one, and also relabeled them. She powered through and got it done in a day. We are able to save time for our service, as well as Central Sterile, and save money for the department, and of course to also provide the best patient care. Thank you, Nikki.”

James Thompson, an animal health technician in the Cardiology Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural belief of Value People, which contributed to the key result of Excellence in Patient Care.

“James helped us handle 11 patients plus 7 consults together as a squad, making the day go as smoothly as possible.”

Thank you, Nikki and James, for your hard work and dedication to the VMTH. Nick Orndorff and Megan Loscar also received awards for recognizing their fellow employee’s hard work.

Key Cultural Pillar



“Realize Our Vision”

Jack, a 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier/Chihuahua mix, was enjoying his family’s rural property in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains when he was bitten on the face by a rattlesnake. Thankfully, his owner witnessed the attack and took immediate action, taking him to their primary veterinarian who immediately started an array of emergency treatments, including antivenom. Jack was struggling to survive as the bite was taking its toll on his diminutive stature. He required further intensive care and was referred to the VMTH. Upon arrival at UC Davis, Jack was in anaphylactic shock plus progressive tissue swelling and bleeding from the severe envenomation. The ER team treated him with intravenous fluids and another dose of antivenom. Given his guarded prognosis, Jack was hospitalized for four days and treated with pain medications, fluids, and nutritional support. He made small steps of improvement, as his wounds became less swollen, painful, and bruised. Ultimately, Jack made a full recovery.

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 new section on House Officer Wellness.

• The article Navigating and Implementing Boundaries, found in the California Marriage and Family Therapists’ The Therapist magazine, describes six different types of boundaries. While written for mental health clinicians to help their clients, any reader can gain a better understanding of these types of boundaries and why they're important. If you have trouble setting boundaries, or experience burnout or resentment as a result of poor boundary setting, please feel free to reach out to a mental health clinician to help you learn more. ASAP is available for staff/faculty. HOW is available to all VMTH House Officers. Students can access CLaW.