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Using Creativity and Innovation to Fight COVID-19

“By working to ensure we live in a society that prioritizes public safety, education, and innovation, entrepreneurship can thrive and create a better world for all of us to live in.” —Ron Conway

Our current COVID19 pandemic has catapulted our society into a new reality and an uneasy sense of the future. The global spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its tragic impact on the lives of those affected has forever changed our view of how we view the world. In response to the public health threat, our scientists and innovators have worked to bring new ideas and creativity to solve the complexity of the effects of this new pathogen and the subsequent public health crisis caused by our inability to control its transmission. From tragedy, however, our faculty, staff, and students have risen to the occasion.

Researchers in our School have responded to the COVID-19 challenge by bringing fresh ideas to this new problem. Dr. Patricia Pesavento, our new Chair of the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, received a seed grant from the UC Davis COVID-19 Research Accelerator Funding Track Program to study how SARS-CoV-2 targets cells, a key to understanding the how the virus damages organs.

Career Choices that Make a Positive Difference in the World

“Long-term career aspirations encompass emotional and intellectual impact of work on society.” —Henry Samueli

First-year DVM student Tiffany Tse conducts research on cat viruses in the Pesavento lab.

When I speak to students about the career opportunities offered by our training and educational programs, I often mention how our work influences the world we all share. Our vision to address societal needs and lead veterinary medicine were illustrated throughout this past month, filled with news stories of our research and discovery, our compassion for those we serve, and the examples of the impact we are making in the world.  We have set this aspirational vision to let the world know how we aspire to bring our knowledge, skills, and passion to our work and through our collective actions.

Dr. Niels Pedersen has researched coronaviruses in cats for more than 50 years.

Work performed by our research scientists, led by Emeritus Professor Niels Pedersen and colleagues, have demonstrated the value of novel treatments against deadly coronavirus in cats. Feline infectious peritonitis is one of several chronic viral infections of cats that resemble those in people, and serves as a naturally occurring model of human coronavirus infections. These same types of treatments are now on the frontlines serving as therapies for human patients suffering from the SARS-CoV2 epidemic.

Celebrating a Decade of Innovation and Discovery

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”  —Steve Jobs

The end of a decade brings reflections on the past and hope for the future. Organizations that continue to provide an environment of innovation and embrace change are often those that lead us toward the future. As we have done since our inception, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s faculty, staff, and students have continued to create the future of veterinary medicine through the generation of novel ideas, unique discoveries, and creativity in teaching and service.

During the past decade, our people have pushed boundaries to produce new treatments, pioneer approaches to solve complex programs, and serve their communities in caring and compassionate ways to address societal needs. Through our innovations, we have helped make veterinary medicine even more vital not just to the treatment of animals, but to human and planetary health. View Decade in Review video.

Reflecting on the Past, Looking Toward the Future

“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.” –Leonardo da Vinci

This time of year brings us reflections of the past year and ways to consider the events of our lives as a collection of memories both good and bad. We can then look to the future with expressions of hope.  It is easy for me to be optimistic when I think of all that has occurred at the School in the past year—because those accomplishments are helping to create a better future.

This year our scientists made discoveries of novel infectious disease agents at the interface of nature, animals, and people.  They led efforts to uncover patterns in the world around us to advance our understanding of disease mechanisms and how to predict their impact in the future.  Our clinicians, residents, and staff developed and executed clinical trials that translated their clinical perceptions about the conditions of their animal patients into evidence-based treatments to improve their lives.  Our clinicians and staff, working in interdisciplinary teams, produced new tools to inform treatment plans and preserve animal health.  Throughout this past year, our scientists reported on studies that helped us understand our natural world and ways to help preserve the animals and ecosystems we value.

Observations in Nature Leading to Scientific Discoveries

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”  — Albert Einstein

Curiosity is a basic characteristic of scientists in many fields. The ability to observe and form hypotheses to verify or refute is a foundation of the scientific method. Edward Jenner, an English physician and scientist in the late 1700s, pioneered smallpox vaccination by using lesions from workers who milked cows with cowpox, a less virulent form of pox that rendered them immune to smallpox. His understanding of the natural world inspired him to create an effective way to block the scourge of his country and a global threat. Edward Jenner and those like him sought knowledge by embracing the animal-human interface. Today, our scientists are continuing in the footsteps of Edward Jenner. By seeking answers to complex biological questions in nature, these modern-day pioneers are providing fundamental knowledge to advance the health of animals, people, and our planet.

Cycle of Rift Valley fever. (From “Towards a better understanding of Rift Valley fever epidemiology in the south-west of the Indian Ocean” – Scientific Figure on ResearchGate.)

This week, CEPI—the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations—announced an initiative to create a human vaccine for Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus. The virus causes an acute, febrile disease most commonly observed in domesticated animals (such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels), with the ability to infect and cause illness in humans. The majority of human infections result from contact with the blood or organs of infected animals or from the bites of infected mosquitoes. Vaccines against RVF have been effective in livestock, and one of these vaccines, DDVax, will be the basis of the human vaccine candidate. DDVax was developed at the Centers for Disease Control by a team including Dr. Brian Bird, now of UC Davis.

A Year of Innovation and Discovery

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”– Steve Jobs

As the year of 2018 comes to a close, it is a good time to celebrate our accomplishments.  For the school, this past year was a time of innovations and discoveries in multiple areas of our mission—from basic science to community building.

DVM students welcomed into our Class of 2022.

We welcomed a diverse incoming class of students who are academically gifted and prepared to serve in our global society. They joined and strengthened a community united by our common sense of purpose to serve society.

Talented teams of researchers, clinicians, students, and staff used novel techniques and approaches. They advanced new treatments and helped answer fundamental questions to explain our world and advance the health of animals, people, and our planet.

Our Commitment to Excellence Reflected in Faculty

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” — Paul J. Meyer

Dean Michael Lairmore presents Dr. Ashley Hill an award for her work with the Masters of Preventative Medicine Program.

A major event that highlights the beginning of our academic year is our annual Fall Faculty Reception where we honor faculty members with awards for excellence in teaching and research. Our faculty include some of the most talented individuals in their discipline. They are accomplished educators and researchers who strive on a daily basis to bring their talents, work ethic, and innovations to accomplish our academic mission in teaching, research, and service to our communities. Our faculty are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in their professional fields, therefore it is appropriate for us to recognize some of our best and brightest during our annual reception.

Dr. Joie Watson presents Dr. Stephan McSorley the 2018 Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teaching Award.

Dr. Stephen McSorley was honored with the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award for his excellence in teaching immunology and microbiology and for outstanding block teaching leadership. His students consistently comment on his efforts to make a complicated topic more manageable, using a “road map” to organize lecture material that includes superhero references.

Enlightenment Through Scientific Discovery

Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge”. –Stephen Hawking

While sitting in a laboratory meeting as a Ph.D. student, my advisor brought us an image of a virus particle that all of the graduate students recognized as a retrovirus, specifically the genus of retroviruses called “lentiviruses.” We knew this because these viruses plagued veterinary medicine for decades, causing a variety of chronic animal diseases, well known to veterinarians. What surprised us and the world at the time, was that the virus was isolated from patients suffering from a new human epidemic eventually known as AIDS. The world for me changed almost overnight and I dedicated my career to studying these deadly viruses of animals and people.

Researchers collecting samples from a bat

PREDICT’s Ebola Host Project team safely and humanely collect samples from bats in the field. The team is active in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, where teams are sampling wildlife and domestic animals to learn more about potential host species for ebolaviruses. (Jaber Belkhiria/UC Davis)

This past week, one of our research teams lead by Dr. Tracey Goldstein described the discovery of a new strain of Ebola virus from bats in Sierra Leone.  As with most scientific investigations, the new virus was discovered by a collaborative team effort that included our One Health Institute, well as colleagues at Columbia University. As I spoke to Dr. Goldstein about the discovery, she became expressive, excited, but restrained at the same time, trying to contain her sense of discovery with her analytical side as a professor whose job it is to identify the origin of viruses like Ebola. Her motivation was in context to the vivid reality that the most recent Ebola outbreak in 2013-2016 killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa. While this new virus may not be the origin of that outbreak, her team’s work provides more evidence that bats are a likely host for these deadly human viruses and opens new questions in their goal to prevent global pandemics.

Fall Faculty Reception: Celebrating our Past, Honoring Excellence, and Welcoming New Faculty

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

New faculty members Drs. Blythe Jurewicz and Ilana Halperin

During our Fall Faculty Reception, we welcome new faculty, honor current faculty achievements and recognize those that provide exception service to our school. In doing so, it is a good time for us to reflect upon how our school has obtained its international reputation as a leader in veterinary medical education and scientific discovery. While we recognize only a few deserving individuals during these events, we are reminded that the creativity and energy of our faculty and volunteers drives us to address societal issues, create new and fundamental knowledge, and educate the next generation of veterinarians and scientists.

Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe (left), Chief Executive Officer of the AAVMC, visits with Drs. John Pascoe and Isaac Pessah.

Dr. Helen Raybould is honored this year as the Zoetis Excellence in Research Awardee for her outstanding research clarifying the relationship between diet and the gut microbiome, interactions that have been shown to influence obesity and inflammatory responses. Her research has advanced the understanding of inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic disorders, as well as led to the identification of new targets to treat and prevent obesity.

Addressing Societal Needs by Combating Antimicrobial Resistance

“Infectious disease exists at this intersection between real science, medicine, public health, social policy, and human conflict.” – Andrea Barrett

As part of our school’s vision, we seek to address societal needs. In challenging ourselves to this daunting task of working to solve the most vexing problems our world faces, we find our people and programs drawn toward the interface of science, public health, and policy. In opening remarks at the recent G20 Conference, Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, praised Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel for recognizing that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to the health of the world’s populations and the future of economies of the many countries.

He indicated that as many as 700,000 people worldwide are already dying each year because of drug-resistant infections and that the cumulative economic cost of AMR will reach 100 trillion dollars by 2050, a cost primarily borne by low and middle income countries. The Secretary-General went on to suggest that “by implementing existing international commitments and recommendations of the World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Organization for Animal Health, countries can promote a more appropriate use of antimicrobials in a true ‘One Health’ framework.”

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