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When Dr. Ernesto Rojas Sánchez first heard about UC Davis, he was a third-year veterinary student at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA-CR). That’s when Dr. Pat Conrad, at the time the Associate Dean for Global Programs at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, visited his university to give a series of talks on infectious diseases in California and the One Health approach. Her presentation, which included research on toxoplasmosis in marine mammals and a roundtable discussion “Imagine what you can do and contribute as a veterinarian”, left a lasting impression.

June 19 marks World Albatross Day, organized by the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), to raise awareness about the growing threats to albatrosses and petrels worldwide. This year’s theme focuses on the devastating impact of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) on these already vulnerable seabirds.

We're excited to announce a new collaboration between Siguiendo Ballenas — a southern right whale monitoring project we support through our Latin America program — and the global Blue Corridors initiative, which works to protect whale migratory routes around the world.

Four critically endangered female eastern lowland gorillas (also known as Grauer’s gorillas) rescued from the illegal wildlife trade have been reintroduced to the wild in Virunga National Park in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The gorillas will provide a critical genetic boost to a small, isolated population of gorillas living on Mt. Tshiaberimu.

When our Latin America Program director Dr. Marcela Uhart arrived at the windswept beaches of southern Patagonia, she was met with a devastating sight—thousands of dead elephant seals, including mothers and pups, wiped out by the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

As the virus spreads globally, mutating and infecting more species—including mammals—scientists like Uhart are racing to understand its deadly trajectory. Her team’s findings, recently published in Nature, underscore a critical truth: We can’t prepare for what’s coming unless we’re paying attention now.

SeaDoc Society's original web series, Salish Sea Wild, has been nominated for two EMMY™ Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences! The show is produced by Bob Friel and hosted by SeaDoc Society Science Director Joe Gaydos.

SeaDoc has two Salish Sea Wild episodes nominated in the North West Chapter's Environment/Science - Long Form Content category:

One Health Institute team member Kimberly Carlson is a 2025 recipient of the UC Davis Chancellor's Outstanding Staff Award!

De saludable, la población pasó a ser vulnerable, con un futuro incierto. Pasarán décadas antes de que la población de Península Valdés se recupere de una epidemia de gripe aviar sucedida en 2023, advierte un nuevo estudio publicado por WCS Argentina, CONICET y la Universidad de California Davis.

English Translation Here

It may take a century before a southern elephant seal colony, hit by an epidemic, comes back to original numbers, according to a new study published by WCS Argentina, CONICET and the University of California, Davis. 

Spanish Translation Here

A new study co-authored by Dr. Victoria Hall, Director of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, sheds light on raptor survival following infection with highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza. Published in Nature, the research—conducted during her time at The Raptor Center in Minnesota—reveals that a significant number of raptors, including bald eagles, have developed antibodies to H5 and N1, suggesting a higher-than-expected survival rate post-infection.

'When They Were Students' is a feature highlighting the diverse and unique journeys of our OHI team members into their current One Health careers.

My career has been anything but linear, and if there’s one piece of advice I’d give to young students, it’s this: say yes to opportunities, even if they scare you. Growth happens outside your comfort zone, and the best paths are often the ones you never planned for.

'When They Were Students' is a feature highlighting the diverse and unique journeys of our OHI team members into their current One Health careers.

Hi, I’m Catherine. I am a researcher with the SeaDoc Society, a program of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis One Health Institute. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon consumed by countless hours of Rock Band, swim team practices, Girl Scouts, and Knox, the sticky hair-ripping gelatin cast I used as a synchronized swimmer.

OHI's Marcela Uhart is featured in a recent NPR Goats & Soda article written by Gabrielle Emanuel 

As a wildlife veterinarian in Florida in the 1990s, Christine Kreuder Johnson could think of only one place to turn for help when she faced mysterious die-offs of birds and sea turtles: UC Davis.

Johnson had previously worked as a veterinarian to horses competing at the racetrack, but found herself increasingly drawn to puzzles at the population level, like the one she now faced at a national wildlife refuge. But she needed help.

“I had all the puzzle pieces, but I couldn’t put it together,” she said.

'When They Were Students' is a feature highlighting the diverse and unique journeys of our OHI team members into their current One Health careers.

Hey, I’m David. I grew up in Detroit in the ‘80s and was into making bad films with friends, editing the high school literary magazine, hanging at Grateful Dead and Phish festivals in the Great Lakes region, and later anything boho, indie, or punk in and around Chicago and Detroit.