Dr. Michelle Hawkins Wins T.J. Lafeber Avian Practitioner of the Year Award

Dr. Michelle Hawkins, a professor in the Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service, was recently awarded the 2023 T.J. Lafeber Avian Practitioner of the Year Award, presented to an outstanding practitioner who is advancing the quality of health care for companion birds. Award recipients are selected by an independent committee of members from the Association of Avian Veterinarians. Congratulations, Dr. Hawkins!

Veterinary Technician Week Coming Soon

Veterinary Technician Week will soon be upon us, starting October 15. Stay tuned for emails announcing details of events slated for that week, as we celebrate the countless contributions veterinary technicians make to the success of the VMTH and our outstanding patient care. To help us prepare, please send photos of your technician teams to VMTH Communications & Marketing Officer Rob Warren at rjwarren@ucdavis.edu.

Staff Update:

• Jody Nugent-Deal, RVT, VTS, has been named VMTH Technician Trainer. Responsibilities of this new position include creating CE events for technicians, developing and guiding new technicians and teams, and assessing service needs, among others. Jody has been with the VMTH for 24 years, most recently serving as supervisor of the Anesthesia Service. Over the next month, she will work with VMTH managers to sign up teams for a free Vet Folio subscription available to all VMTH employees. More information on this will be emailed in the coming weeks. Please welcome Jody to this exciting new role and feel free to send her ideas and CE topics at jpnugent@ucdavis.edu.

• Welcome back to the VMTH Dr. Rana Bozorgmanesh as a staff veterinarian in the Equine Internal Medicine Service. Dr. Bozorgmanesh earned her veterinary degree (2008) from the Royal Veterinary College in London. Following several years in private practice, she completed a 1-year internal medicine fellowship (2013) at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky and a 3-year residency in large animal internal medicine (2016) at UC Davis. After a brief stay at the VMTH as a staff veterinarian, Dr. Bozormanesh was an associate veterinarian at Hagyard for six years. In 2022, she joined Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics in the Bay Area for a year before returning to UC Davis. Dr. Bozorgmanesh is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, as well as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Faculty Update:

• Welcome Dr. Terza Brostoff as an assistant professor in the Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Brostoff completed the Veterinary Scientist Training Program at UC Davis, with a DVM and a PhD in Integrative Pathobiology. After 3 years in clinical practice, she returned to academia where she completed a postdoctoral fellowship (UCD/UCSD collaboration) and gained diplomate status in the American College of Veterinary Microbiology.

• Welcome Dr. Hannah Savage as an assistant professor in the Clinical Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Savage earned a dual PhD (2018) and DVM (2019) from UC Davis and continued at the school as a postdoctoral scholar (2019-2023). Her research interests and expertise focus on the host-pathogen interface in enteric infectious disease and novel therapeutic solutions.

• Welcome Dr. Krista Keller as an associate professor in the Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service. Dr. Keller earned her DVM (2010) from Ross University and completed a companion animal internship (2011) at Louisiana State University. She completed a zoological companion animal residency (2014) at UC Davis and became board certified (2014) with the American College of Zoological Medicine. Dr. Keller worked as a private practitioner (2014-2017) in Colorado before becoming an assistant professor (2017-2023) at the University of Illinois.

• Welcome Dr. Marcela Machado as an assistant professor in the Anesthesiology Service. Dr. Machado earned her veterinary degree (2011) from Castelo Branco University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She completed her residency (2015) and continued to complete her MS (2017) from Fluminense Federal University, Niteroi, Brazil. Dr. Machado completed a second MS (2021) and completed a second residency (2022) at UC Davis. In 2022, Dr. Machado became a clinical assistant professor of anesthesiology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.

• Welcome Dr. Joanna Kaplan as acting assistant professor in the Cardiology Service. Dr. Kaplan earned her DVM (2015) from UC Davis. Following a small animal internship (2016) at Iowa State University and a small animal emergency and critical care internship (2017) at the VMTH, she completed a residency in Cardiology at UC Davis (2021) and is currently a PhD student completing degree requirements in the Graduate Group of Integrative Pathobiology. Dr. Kaplan became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology) in 2021.

• Welcome Dr. Gina Davis as an assistant professor in the Primary Care Service. Dr. Davis earned her DVM (1997) from UC Davis. Following graduation, she worked as an associate veterinarian for VCA at four separate hospitals in California and Washington for 23 years. In 2020, she returned to UC Davis to complete a residency with the Behavior Service. Dr. Davis’ research focuses on small animal behavior.

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:

Geena Urton, a hospital laboratory technician in the Diagnostic Imaging Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Realize Vision, Value People, Pursue Excellence, One Team, and Trusted Dialogue which contributed to the key result of Excellence in Patient Care.

“On August 30, the small animal radiology staff was overwhelmed with a surge of cases. We only had two technicians on the floor that day. By noon, 20 requests had hit AGFA, and by 3 p.m., that number inched up to 30. The technicians stayed until 7 p.m. to finish the caseload, ending up with 39 total cases for the day. I am extremely proud of Geena for handling this overwhelming situation with such a calm demeanor.”

Yvonne Magana, a client services representative, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of Realize Vision and One Team, which contributed to the key results of Excellence in Patient Care and Employee Engagement.

“Thank you, Yvonne, for covering the graveyard shift today with very short notice. I appreciate you so much, and I am glad you are a part of my team.”

Thank you, Geena and Yvonne, for your hard work and dedication to the VMTH. In addition, Krystal Scott and Christina Steckley received a small award for recognizing their fellow employees’ hard work.

Key Cultural Pillar



“One Team”

Congratulations to the Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Service for helping to save Whitney, a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier/poodle mix, who drowned in her owners' swimming pool, but was revived with CPR. One of her owners is an EMT/firefighter with the City of Sacramento and he and his son performed CPR for 10 minutes until Whitney finally took a breath. They immediately rushed her to a veterinary clinic that later referred her to the VMTH. Whitney was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and treated by Dr. Karl Jandrey, along with the 24/7 team of technicians and veterinarians in the Emergency and Critical Care Service. To improve her lung function, she was maintained in an oxygen-rich environment for six days and made a full recovery. The case was covered by Veterinary Practice News and DVM360.

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.

• Did you know October is Emotional Wellness Month? According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), “Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times.” Because stress can have a negative impact, our ability to focus on our emotional well-being is important in maintaining good mental and physical health. The NIH offers 6 strategies for improving emotional health. See if you can follow these strategies throughout the month to help you feel less stressed.