My Don Low/CVMA Fellowship Experience at UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching

By Serena Gannon, DVM, BVM&S BSc(Hons) MRCVS

Hospital

My interest in small animal surgery was sparked early on in my veterinary career during clinical lectures at vet school and grew during externships and rotations. This led me to selecting soft tissue surgery as my choice of elective during the last semester of vet school, and I have not looked back since! Eleven years after graduation, my fascination with surgery remains the same and I was thrilled to be chosen as the Don Low surgery fellow at UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital for the academic year of 2020.

As a surgery fellow, I spent my time with the soft tissue service from 2020–2022 on a weekly or bimonthly basis. Our days would begin with rounds in the soft tissue surgery office adeptly led by faculty surgeons Dr. William Culp (my fellowship mentor), Dr. Philipp Mayhew, or Dr. Michele Steffey, along with the wonderful surgery residents and fourth-year vet students. We would talk about the in-patients that we had, as well as the procedures that were planned for the day and detailed discussions of each case. This included the patient’s history, disease process, relevant anatomy, diagnostic imaging involved, decision-making in the choice of surgical technique, and possible post-operative complications. I really enjoyed this thorough approach, as it gave me the chance to refresh my knowledge and learn about new advancements and developments in cutting-edge surgery.

In addition to our own soft tissue rounds, once a week we would attend surgery oncology rounds—a specific interest of mine, and something we see a lot of in general practice. These rounds involved the residents and faculty staff from multiple disciplines (including soft tissue surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and clinical pathology) who would collaborate on interesting and more unusual cases. To be involved in their clinical discussion and exposed to their wealth of knowledge and expertise was extremely humbling, and I learned a great deal.

After morning rounds, the rest of the day was spent receiving patients (for potential future surgery) and/or being scrubbed into surgery (my favorite part!). I was given the opportunity to scrub into any procedure, and I would always jump at the chance to do so. In my first day alone, we saw more interesting cases than I would have seen in months in clinical practice. Some of my favorite cases during my time at UC Davis included the correction of a cecal intussusception in a dog, the removal of an ileocolic obstruction in a dog, a mast cell tumor removal with a reconstructive skin flap in a dog, and brachycephalic airway surgery in a dog.

Throughout the fellowship, I kept a case log of what I saw and what I learned. I was able to take away various surgical principles, tips, and tricks, and I subsequently have been able to put these into practice, which has been extremely satisfying. In addition, I felt empowered to compile a short document called “Top 10 takeaways from the surgery fellowship” to share with my colleagues. I have been able to use these takeaways as part of my own teaching as I continue to train new graduates and less experienced doctors in surgery at my general practice clinic.

The Don Low fellowship gave me exposure to an academic environment, allowing me to work alongside highly skilled surgeons, residents, and nurses and to develop invaluable professional relationships with them. I was also able to share my general practice experience with fourth-year vet students and answer questions they had about the next steps and options that are out there after graduation, which made me feel that I had come full circle.

All in all, my experience would not have been the same without the presence and guidance of Dr. William Culp (the most impressive surgeon with whom I have had the pleasure to work!) or the lovely residents who were extremely supportive and helpful in answering the multitude of questions I would ask each day. By the end of my fellowship, I really felt like a member of the team and could not have asked for a more fulfilling and rewarding experience! I would certainly recommend the fellowship program without hesitation!

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