News and Updates
School Receives Groundbreaking $75M Gift
The UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine has received the second largest individual gift ever made to the school: $75 million from Bay Area residents Kathy Chiao and Kenneth Hao. Their gift will name the school’s new small animal hospital, which will provide cutting-edge veterinary care, accommodate more patients annually, and increase space for student and specialty training. Their gift will also fund scholarships, animal-human translational medicine, and programs for those unable to afford veterinary care.
UC Davis Receives $120M Gift – Largest Ever to Veterinary Medicine
Philanthropists Joan and Sanford I. Weill through the Weill Family Foundation have made a $120 million gift to support the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. It is the largest gift ever made to veterinary medicine worldwide. In recognition of this commitment, the university has renamed the school the University of California, Davis, Joan and Sanford I. Weill School of Veterinary Medicine — or simply the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. The funds will strengthen UC Davis’ leadership in comparative medicine and will support the construction of a small animal teaching hospital, part of the next phase of the Veterinary Medical Complex expansion.
A Life’s Work Turns into a Legacy Gift
Alice Villalobos (’68 CAES, ’72 DVM) and her husband, Ira Lifland, have made a transformational estate gift to the school’s new Veterinary Cancer Center, which is part of the next phase of the Veterinary Medical Complex expansion.
VMC Expansion Announcements: See the Coverage
On September 18, 2025, the School of Veterinary Medicine launched the next phase of the Veterinary Medical Complex, thanks to donor contributions of more than $110M. Members of the media were on hand for the event. Take a look at the coverage.
One Foundation’s Mission Translates to Impact
Feline Infectious Peritonitis, also known as FIP, is one of the deadliest diseases in cats. Tragically, it affects kittens the most, and is often fatal if untreated. Cats may carry the feline coronavirus without issue, but in some, a mutation causes it to develop into FIP, which can turn fatal.
Legacy: A Beloved Dog’s Gift to Compassionate Care
“Grammar was a very special being. She was independent, yet loving. She was cool and tough, but still let me put pink collars on her,” Grammar’s owner recalls. “She did not suffer fools – but also had a great love for other dogs.”
Grammar, a white husky mix, was one of two puppies found in the woods in southern United States in 2010. She and her puppy mate were starving, weak, and desperately in need of care. Grammar’s owner adopted her without hesitation.
Contributing to the Future of Veterinary Medicine: A Legacy Gift
When Ron and Kathleen Spicer first crossed paths as rodeo competitors in the 1960s, they were drawn to each other by a shared passion for animals and an interest in their health and welfare. Their backgrounds—Ron hailed from a farm in Minnesota, where as a young man, he was a sought-after horse trainer, while Kathleen grew up on a cattle ranch in western North Dakota—fostered a love for animals that came to define their lives together. The self-described “cowboy and cowgirl from the Midwest” inspired many with their devotion to horses, dogs and other animals.
Raptors Up Close
A planned educational enclosure dedicated to raptors will bring some extraordinary birds even closer to the general public, thanks to a partnership with the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden and the UC Davis California Raptor Center (CRC). The new habitat will be funded through philanthropy – with fundraising efforts currently under way.
Donors Create Full Scholarship for MPVM Students
The Masters of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM) program is a vital part of the School of Veterinary Medicine, supporting students to become leading professionals in critical assessment and application of epidemiological and quantitative methods for solving animal, human, and ecological population health challenges. The program prepares veterinarians and physicians to address animal, human, and ecological problems and to design and evaluate disease control or other health programs.
A Close Call
Thanks to UC Davis, my 9-year-old Miniature Pinscher Terrier Reesie is alive and doing well. She had a difficult health journey for a while. In December 2023, she developed a respiratory infection. Then a month later, when she started to limp, we discovered that she had a mass on her right forearm. Our local veterinarian thought it may be a sarcoma, so we started to make a plan to resolve the mass. And then, suddenly, Reesie started to have seizures.
Meet Handsome: First Participant in Groundbreaking Study
Handsome is not your typical ten-year-old Doberman pinscher. Not only does he have a very strong vocabulary (his owner Judith Friedman said he can be very demonstrative when he needs something), he is also the first participant in a clinical trial through the UC Davis Veterinary Center for Clinical Trials (VCCT) that has the promise of treating metastatic cancer in dogs.
Ensuring Feline Health for Generations to Come
Lin Zucconi’s dedication to animals started at an early age. She loved her sister’s cat and had turtles of her own. Her dedication to them earned her the nickname in her neighborhood as the “turtle doctor.” When she went away to college at the University of California, Berkeley, she ensured the turtles had a home at the Oakland Zoo. As she moved into adulthood, she stayed dedicated to animals, especially cats.
