House Officer Awards

two veterinarians with award — Professor Julie Dechant (right), director of the equine surgery residency program, presents the 2023 American Association of Veterinary Clinicians Resident Achievement Award to Dr. Tom Bergstrom (left).

Every spring since 1979, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine hosts the Gerald V. Ling Veterinary Intern and Resident Research Symposium (VIRRS). This day-long event features short presentations of research findings from house officers (resident, fellow and intern) to fellow house officers, faculty, staff, students, and guests.

Having the ability to do research is a major advantage of participating in the House Officer Program at UC Davis. The program offers the largest and most diverse advanced training opportunities in the country for veterinarians seeking to become specialists within a discipline. The school trains more than 125 house officers in more than 40 specialty disciplines every year, and nearly 50 of them present research studies annually at VIRRS, covering a huge breadth of topics throughout veterinary medicine.

Additionally, many UC Davis house officers are nominated for and win national and international professional house officer awards given by the veterinary industry and organizations.