UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine: How a major gift could impact veterinary and human medicine

Earlier this year, the University of California, Davis, veterinary school received a $120 million gift from philanthropists Joan and Sanford I Weill through the Weill Family Foundation. In honor of the donation, the school has been renamed the University of California, Davis, Joan and Sanford I. Weill School of Veterinary Medicine (or, more concisely, the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine).

The name change isn’t the only notable aspect of this historic donation—which happens to be the largest veterinary gift in history. How the school intends to utilize the gift is also noteworthy.

A culture of collaboration between vet and human medicine

“UC Davis is at the forefront of collaborative research across veterinary and human medicine. The university offers a unique integration of human and animal health expertise, where advances in veterinary care translate directly to benefit human health research and care, and vice-versa,” said Tom Hinds, director of communications at UC Davis.

“The university has programs specific to comparative medicine, such as the Comparative Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences Lab, Comparative Cancer Center, Comparative Medical Scientist Training Program, and others,” he continued, adding that they have programs to support collaboration, like an annual joint School of Medicine/Weill School of Veterinary Medicine research award program, an annual joint symposium, and the Veterinary Center for Clinical Trials.

Plus, the university was recently awarded an NIH R38 grant, designed, Hinds said, “to establish the first joint medicine and veterinary medicine R38 program in the country, which intends to boost the pipeline of physician- and veterinarian-scientists. These programs ensure that the school will be effective at using the new research funds to develop collaborations with the School of Medicine and other academic health institutions.”

Examples of the school’s commitment to studying both the similarities and differences across species include brain surgery for a kitten with hydrocephalus that could transform care for human patients, a groundbreaking spina bifida stem cell treatment, the first successful clinical trial of a new cancer drug targeting STAT3 in pet cats, FIP research with human implications, a One Health approach to the global threat of rift valley fever, a study on lung metastasis in dogs modeled after human health therapies, and more.

A bigger, better building

The school already had plans for a $750 million Veterinary Medical Complex expansion initiative, and $80 million of the Weills’ gift will go toward the building of a new small animal teaching hospital within that initiative.

“The Weills’ gift, as well as the gifts announced in September, mean that many of the projects of the Veterinary Medical Complex are moving forward immediately,” Hinds said. These projects allow the school to increase its veterinary student population from 600 to 800, and its residents/house officers from about 140 to 190.

And that’s not only good news for students and residents; the school will also be able to increase its case numbers from approximately 50,000 each year to 75,000, along with more opportunities for increased research and community service, Hinds said.

“Key facilities planned to be completed within five years include the small animal hospital, a veterinary education pavilion, and a primary care hospital,” he said.

A green light for more high-impact ideas

Students and patients aside, Hinds sees this donation as impactful for veterinary medicine and cooperative medicine as a whole, as the funding and expanded facilities will only grow the research, innovation, and partnership UC Davis will partner on with other institutions.

Additionally, Hinds said, “The school already has a reputation for fostering high-impact ideas that may fall outside of traditional funding sources through its donor-supported Center for Companion Animal Health (CCAH) and Center for Equine Health (CEH), which provide seed grants for research. Funding for non-human-focused medical research is limited, so the Weill’s gift toward veterinary and comparative research can make significant impacts toward advancing animal and human health.”

New opportunities for partnership

UC Davis is far from the first school to benefit from the Weills’ interest in research and medicine, and that opens up plenty of doors for potential partnerships.

“The Weills encourage collaboration and have been raising the awareness of the value of comparative research with all of the medical institutions they have been involved with,” Hinds said. “We have a history of translational/One Health collaborations both within UC Davis and with other institutions like recent examples UCSF, The Ohio State University, Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands, and others. We anticipate funding from this gift will stimulate even more collaborations moving forward.”

One thing the gift won’t change, Hinds said, is the way the school continually evaluates its curriculum, admissions practices, and other areas. However, he said, “The planning for new facilities will present new opportunities for learning and training in new state-of-the-art environments with our world-class personnel.” And that, of course, brings more opportunities for the students and faculty of the future.

Photo credit: Rendering of the entrance to the planned small animal hospital and emergency at UC Davis Weill, courtesy of UC Davis Weill

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