On August 20, Chief Veterinary Medical Officer Dr. Michael Mison, along with the VMTH Leadership Team, delivered his first “State of the VMTH” address to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He addressed his activities over his first six months at the school and outlined initiatives to move the hospital forward.

Stakeholder engagement is an important factor in Dr. Mison’s vision for the hospital, so he has spent many hours meeting with service chiefs, directors, managers, supervisors, and many other faculty and staff members to gain a better understanding of the VMTH. This also included engaging academic department chairs, development officers, marketing/communications professionals, and other members of the school at large. He looks to expand engagement with the implementation of the Referring Veterinarians Advisory Board and the House Officers Roundtable.

Before discussing future priorities, Dr. Mison celebrated some recent VMTH achievements:
•    The hospital welcomed 54 new House Officers this year, 29 of which are internationals representing 19 countries.
•    Seven graduating house officers were welcomed to full-time positions as staff or faculty veterinarians.
•    Career staff positions at the VMTH exceeded 400 – a 25% increase over the past five years.
•    Average monthly staff turnover in the last year decreased from 2.49% to 1.17%.
•    The VMTH hosted 33 veterinary technician internships, resulting in 3 permanent hires.
•    The VPETT Employee Recognition system received 240 annual submissions to its monthly awards program.

Dr. Mison went on to map out the hospital’s strategic priorities for fiscal year 2025, including highlights achieved recently toward these goals:

Financial stability
Despite increased expenditure growth, the hospital continued to operate in a net positive position, as it has done for several years. This was accomplished by a general price increase of 5% and a record-high caseload of 51,578 for fiscal year 2024, about a 1% increase from last year.

Improved client/referring veterinarian/student experience
Wait times for telephone calls improved drastically following several operational changes in 2023-24. Average time on hold went from eight minutes to three minutes. Ongoing training, safety reviews, and client surveys also helped improve experiences.

Improved operational efficiency and facility upgrades
Highlights included the recent openings of the Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center and the Meadowview Foundation Dentistry & Oral Surgery Center, as well as the upcoming All Species Imaging Center. Dr. Mison also pointed toward an expected 2025-26 opening date for the Hobbs Veterinary Medical Center San Diego. The hospital’s recent accreditation renewal by the American Animal Hospital Association was also highlighted.

Best-in-class workplace recruiting/retaining talent and efficient use of talent
A focus on wellness was implemented which included counselors solely for hospital clients and personnel. Orientations, workshops, continuing education, and retreats improved leadership, efficiency, and focus. Employee recognition and celebration improved morale.  

Innovation in clinical delivery and teaching
New facilities, equipment upgrades, and improved workspaces led to innovative procedures, translational discoveries, and superior learning environments. Subspecialty expansion and novel clinical trials offered top-notch patient care. The implementation of artificial intelligence and telemedicine kept the hospital at the cutting edge of technology.  

Going forward, “State of the VMTH” addresses will be delivered on a biannual basis, determined as the optimal timeframe by a recent focus group of hospital faculty and staff.

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