Research

Q&A with Dr. Susan Stover

Dr. Susan Stover has been funded frequently by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. Her goal in recent research is the prevention of musculoskeletal injuries in equine athletes.

Stem Cell Therapy: Helping Cats with Unresponsive FCGS

A rescued domestic shorthaired cat named “Lily” has helped prove the efficacy of a game-changing treatment for feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS), or stomatitis for short. The lucky feline, adopted by Cyndi Luke of Davis, California, had been treated unsuccessfully for three years when she was recruited to take part in a stem-cell therapy trial testing a cutting-edge procedure for the painful oral condition.

June Barrera - Central and East Africa

June Barrera - Central and East Africa June Barrera - Central and East Africa and Silent Hereos Foundation

This summer I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Uganda to not only conduct field research with One Health Central and East Africa (OHCEA), but also extern at the country’s only wildlife rehabilitation and zoological facility, Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC).

Erin Belleville - Namibia 

Erin Belleville - Namibia Erin Belleville - Namibia 

My summer of 2017 actually turned into winter as I was granted the opportunity of completing a veterinary internship with the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia. With funding provided by the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Office of Global Programs, I was able to spend 8 weeks in Otjiwarango, Namibia gaining experience in research, as well as wildlife and exotic animal medicine. The main focus of my internship was to gain clinical experience with exotic felids.

Shannon Smith - Sri Lanka

Shannon Smith - Sri Lanka Shannon Smith - Sri Lanka

In the first few months of vet school, I developed two criteria for the summer of 2017: 1) an international experience and 2) a non-domestic species. I met with Dr. Woutrina Smith and spoke with Dr. Pat Conrad – both directed me to the fabulous husband-and-wife team that is Dr. Eranda Rajapaksha and Dr. Saumya Wickramasinghe. They received their veterinary degrees at the University of Peradeniya (UP) in Sri Lanka but completed PhDs at UC Davis before returning to UP to lecture in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Monica Plank - South Africa

Monica Plank - South Africa Monica Plank - South Africa

Since my first experience in South Africa last year, the wild has been calling. Fortunately, the brilliant people that I met last year while working on my One Health STAR project - Declan Morris and Jeanette Wentzel - were willing to have me return to assist their PhD projects. Declan’s project focuses on comprehensive leopard conservation on Loskop Dam Nature reserve in the Highveld of South Africa.

Monica Milstein - Namibia

Monica Milstein - Namibia Monica Milstein - Namibia

This last June and July I spent six weeks at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia conducting herd health surveys on the CCF’s and neighboring community goat herds. My project was a baseline assessment comparing herd health and prevalence of brucellosis in the CCF herd compared to community farm herds.

Kristin Little - Sri Lanka

Kristin Little - Sri Lanka Kristin Little - Sri Lanka

As I sifted my way through my first year of veterinary school, I heard time and time again that the veterinary degree is one that can lead you down a seemingly unlimited number of paths. While I was unsure of exactly where I wanted my career to take me, I knew that I wanted to learn more about the One Health field and research that extends beyond the clinical realm.

Janice Lee - Australia

Janice Lee - Australia Janice Lee - Australia

Dr. Doneley popped his head into the student study room. “We’re ready for the wallaby radiographs now,” he said casually. Hardly any of the other students looked up from their records as I scrambled for my camera and notebook, reminding myself that spontaneous hyperventilation is notably off-putting, regardless of what country one is in.

Rowena Kuang - Australia

Rowena Kuang - Australia Rowena Kuang - Australia

I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Sydney, Australia this summer where I researched feline aspergillosis in brachycephalic cats. Fungal rhinosinusitis due to Aspergillus species infection is an emerging mycosis of cats with little published data about its etiopathogenesis. Approximately 40% of all cats diagnosed with these invasive infections are brachycephalic, namely pure-bred cats of Persian lineage.