UC Davis Welcomes 57 New House Officers

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) welcomed 57 new house officers (41 residents, 8 fellows, 8 interns) into its advanced training programs this year. The UC Davis SVM House Officer Program is the largest of its kind in the United States with 144 total house officers (124 residents, 10 fellows, 10 interns) advancing their skills in approximately 40 training programs. These programs range from one to four years in length, during which veterinarians focus on a specific aspect of specialty medicine such as oncology, equine surgery, internal medicine, or anesthesiology.

“I’m excited to be back at UC Davis for my residency,” said Dr. Bryce Westbrook, a member of the UC Davis SVM class of 2024, who is beginning a 3-year residency in medical oncology. “The breadth of cases at UC Davis was one of the driving factors in my decision to return. Not only am I excited about learning more about treating cancer, but I’m excited to work with the students, which I enjoyed last year during my internship.”

Most residency training programs fulfill specialty colleges’ requirements to sit for board certification examinations. Once their clinical training is completed, board examinations are passed, and all credentialing requirements are met, these highly trained veterinarians become board certified specialists in their discipline of veterinary medicine.

House Officer Affairs is led by faculty members Drs. Jamie Burkitt and Amandine Lejeune, in partnership with several chief house officers, who represent as the voice of all UC Davis SVM house officers.

This week, the new house officers will complete a 3-day orientation to become acquainted with the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) and other areas of campus. The orientation allows these veterinarians the opportunity to meet hospital leadership, faculty mentors, and resident mates, as well as to meet Dean Mark Stetter and attend a welcome mixer organized with the support of Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

Following their orientation, the clinicians will begin their duties next week at the VMTH and other training facilities, including Sacramento Zoo, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Safari Park, California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory, Wildlife Health Center, California National Primate Research Center, Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, and Marine Mammal Center.

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