UC Davis Health

Congratulations to Janice Au on her recent DAISY Foundation award! From her nomination: "Janice Au has now personally provided me with exceptional care at UC Davis Medical Center not once but twice. The first time was nearly two years ago when I was pregnant for the first time with my daughter. It was discovered my baby was breech at 36 weeks. I had an attempted ECV attempt at Labor & Delivery to turn her from breech to proper presentation for delivery. Unfortunately, being my wonderful but determined daughter, she was quite set on staying breech and would not turn. While the whole care team, including the doctors performing the procedure, were kind and determined to help me, the experience was exceptionally painful, by far the worst pain I’d ever felt. During the procedure, I instinctively attempted to grab the doctors’ hands, either to stop the pain or hold a hand. Obviously, I was not allowed to do this because doing so would interfere with the procedure. Seemingly from nowhere, Janice appeared. It seemed to me she had pushed anyone else out of the way (though I’m sure she was perfectly polite). She then took my hands and held them through the whole procedure. I will never forget how comforting this act was. Her compassion has stuck with me to this day. The second time I met Janice was with my second pregnancy, when I was 37 weeks pregnant with my son. Janice was assigned as my nurse for the delivery, a TOLAC. I was excited to meet my son but also extremely nervous from going into labor 19 days before my due date and not sure if the attempted VBAC would be successful, or even if I could manage the labor pain. Seeing Janice again put me at ease, as I’d never forgotten how she helped me through the procedure with my first pregnancy. For this second pregnancy, I hadn’t prepared a birth plan (I thought I’d get to it in a few days), so from memory, Janice went down the list with me to ask my preferences and help me achieve my labor wishes. Throughout my labor, she made me laugh, stay calm, and feel informed. She was my personal guide through labor, making incredibly personal things (bathroom, shower, nudity, pain) feel normal. She knew what to expect, skillfully preparing anything to help with the next stage of labor. In addition to her clinical skill with the tools of labor, she also skillfully asked me questions in a way that helped me make decisions about how to proceed with labor. From her compassionate guidance, I felt strong, capable, and prepared. We also succeeded in the TOLAC and delivered the baby vaginally rather than going through another C-section. I will always be grateful to Janice, her knowledge, and her compassion.“

We're thrilled to share that the University of California, Davis - School of Medicine was awarded over $400 million in external research awards in fiscal year 2023-24! The School of Medicine received 1,414 awards, funding 566 principal investigators. Research spanned ultra-rare diseases to the most common ones, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. “We truly appreciate these investments made in our groundbreaking biomedical research by funding agencies and industry partners,” said?Kim Barrett, vice dean for research and distinguished professor of?physiology and membrane biology. “Our faculty are tireless in seeking and receiving research funding. Their efforts will permit the study not only of fundamental biological mechanisms that underlie disease, but also the development and testing of innovative therapies and an understanding of the social determinants of health.” Learn more about these federal, state, and industry awards funding cutting-edge medical and health research: https://lnkd.in/gKfJa8r5

September marks #WomeninMedicineMonth, an annual event celebrating the significant contributions of women in the healthcare field. In honor of this occasion, the Center for Healthcare Policy and Research spotlighted three exceptional women working within the CHPR. Each excels as a physician and researcher, serving as principal investigators on grants at CHPR. Their outstanding work exemplifies the vital role women play in advancing healthcare. This #WIMMonth, meet Michelle Dossett, Na’amah Razon, and Elisa Tong: https://lnkd.in/gGSVWFUc

Happy #EnviormentalServicesWeek! Our Environmental Services (EVS) employees contribute to saving lives every day. They are the last touch between a patient leaving and the next patient coming in. Our EVS professionals care for a highly complex and regulated environment where sick people want and need a caring environment conducive to recovery and wellness. They play a key role in customer and patient satisfaction as well as quality outcomes throughout a patient’s continuum of care. The EVS staff at UC Davis Health keep us running smoothly and safely. We are grateful for these incredible individuals this week and every week!

The Muscular Dystrophy Association?(MDA) announced today that neurologist?Ricardo Maselli?will lead the first?MDA Kickstart for Ultra-Rare Neuromuscular Disease?project. The goal is to develop a gene therapy for a rare type of?congenital myasthenic syndrome?(CMS), an inherited disease that causes muscle weakness and fatigue. “The Muscular Dystrophy Association recognizes that many neuromuscular diseases may be too rare to be commercially attractive for therapy development by drug companies,” said?Sharon Hesterlee, chief research officer of MDA. “The MDA Kickstart program will help ensure that patients with ultra-rare forms of neuromuscular disease are not left behind in the era of genetic medicines and can also experience the potential benefits of gene therapies.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gsqZ8k_g

We are proud to have been designated a Center of Excellence by the Wilson Disease Association! The award recognizes care teams that provide the highest quality care to Wilson disease patients with acute or chronic illness. We are one of eight health systems in the United States (and the second in California) to be named a Wilson Disease Center of Excellence. “This designation is a significant accomplishment by the dedicated members of our Wilson disease care team, which includes hepatology and neurology,” said the director of the center of excellence, Valentina Medici. “The award recognizes our commitment to optimizing Wilson disease care, and diagnosis and follow-up of people affected by the disease.” Learn more about this designation: https://lnkd.in/g4xe6Fze

We are #3 in the nation among public universities and #12 among all universities for how well we set graduates up for financial success in the The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings released today. ?? The rankings, from The Wall Street Journal and its research partners College Pulse and Statista, consider how much a school improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings with results from student and alumni surveys on college life and diversity. Read the full report by visiting https://ucdav.is/47ftRvv. #OurUCDavis | #CollegeRankings | #GoAgs Video description: A collection of video clips featuring students, events, commencement, Gunrock the mascot, and the UC Davis campus. Various rankings information appears on-screen.

September marks Women in Medicine Month, an annual event celebrating the significant contributions of women in the healthcare field. In honor of this occasion, the UC Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research (CHPR), spotlight three exceptional women working with the center. Each of them excels as both physicians and researchers, serving as principal investigators on grants at CHPR. Learn more about their outstanding work that exemplifies the vital role women play in advancing healthcare. Q&A at the link below. UC Davis Health

It has been over a year since our Transplant Center completed its first liver transplant. During this first year, the team performed 41 liver transplants – far surpassing their initial year goal of 12-14 transplants. Most impressively, the team had a perfect 100% patient survival rate and a graft survival rate of 100%! "This success is due to the amazing work being done by our liver transplant team. We have liver surgeons, hepatologists, liver transplant anesthesiologists, advanced practitioners, transplant coordinators, nurses, financial coordinators, social workers, dietitians, pharmacists, and transplant administrators — who all work tirelessly to provide compassionate and exceptional care to our patients," said Lea K. Matsuoka, section chief for liver transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery in the Division of Transplant Surgery. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gecZrf-u

We're thrilled to share that Aubyn Stahmer, Professor of?Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,?has been appointed director of the?UC Davis MIND Institute! Stahmer is a nationally recognized expert in autism intervention. Her extensive federally funded research program emphasizes increasing access to autism services for historically marginalized communities. “I am honored to take on this new role at the MIND Institute, a truly special place that was built by families 25 years ago and attracts incredible researchers, clinicians, staff and families,” Stahmer said. "I am excited to work with the faculty and staff to develop new ways to support scientific innovation, integration of clinical services and research and increased community engagement as we move into the future.” Learn more about Aubyn Stahmer and her new role at the UC Davis MIND Institute: https://lnkd.in/gpEFP42E