Opportunities in Animal Health
Internships and Research Opportunities:
University of California Washington Program
Intern with departments working in animal health such as the USDA, FDA, Humane Society of the U.S., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Federation, and more.
Summer Abroad Internships- Global Learning Hub :
Animal and Zoological Management Internships are offered in Port Douglas, Australia and Johannesburg and Oudtshoorn, South Africa. These internships give interns first-hand experience in wildlife handling and care.
Wildlife, Conservation, and Veterinary Medicine Internships are offered at the San José Wildlife Rescue Center in Costa Rica and Chiang Mai Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. In these internships students are led by veterinarians in learning how to care for rescued wildlife.
Volunteer Opportunities:
UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Volunteer Opportunities:
California Raptor Center cares for and rehabilitates sick, injured, and orphaned raptors. Volunteers feed and provide medical care under direction of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. No prior experience is required to volunteer. Volunteers are required to work a minimum of four hours per week. To find out information about volunteering for Summer 2025 call (530) 752-6091.
Orphan Kitten Project rescues and fosters orphaned and abandoned kittens. Their mission is to rescue kittens and adopt them into loving homes and help train future veterinarians in caring for kittens. Their website includes information about how to get added to their foster listserv!
Oiled Wildlife Care Network aims to be ready and respond to oil spills. They proactively capture and provide care to oil affected animals in California. To learn more about volunteering when an oil spill occurs visit: https://calspillwatch.wildlife.ca.gov/Volunteer
Mercer Veterinary Clinic for Pets of the Homeless:
Provides free veterinary care to pets of individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in Sacramento and Yolo County
Run entirely by volunteers, including UC Davis undergraduates, veterinary students, and veterinarians
Provides well-exams, vaccinations, flea/tick/heartworm prevention, pet food, diagnostics and treatment, pet food, and referral for spay/neuter
Undergraduate volunteers assist the veterinary students and veterinarians by providing patient restraint, scribing medical notes, dispensing vaccines and parasite preventions, and processing records. If you’re interested in being an undergraduate volunteer email mercer.undergrad.contact@gmail.com
Knight's Landing One Health Center:
Provides community centered care linking human, animal, and environmental health
Ran by a team of physicians, UC Davis medical students, and undergraduate volunteers
Provides linguistically competent and culturally sensitive healthcare services to the underserved communities of Knight’s Landing, La Tijera, Robbins, and nearby migrant camps
Veterinary clinic provides basic and preventative animal care for the community such as physical examinations, vaccinations, parasite prevention, and minor diagnostics and treatments
Volunteers must maintain a 3.0 GPA while volunteering and attend a 1-2 unit quarterly clinic class. Applications for medical and dental volunteers open every winter quarter and applications for veterinary volunteers open every spring quarter
Graduate Programs:
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM):
Veterinarians are medical professionals that provide healthcare to all kinds of animals. Veterinarians also collaborate with physicians and public health agencies to prevent and control zoonotic diseases. If you are interested in becoming a vet be sure to learn the admissions requirements for vet school. Health Professions Advising has resources listed to help students prepare for vet school and allows students to meet with advisors to plan out a pre-vet plan.
Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (MPVM):
The MPVM program at UC Davis aims to provide veterinarians or physicians with education to become professionals in critical assessment and application of epidemiological and quantitative methods for solving health problems. This is a 1-2 year program with a foundation of epidemiology and biostatistics. One Health is a core component of this program.
Graduate Groups Associated with Animal Health:
There are a broad range of graduate programs available that can be applied to research in animal health. For example some of the graduate groups here at UC Davis that are associated with animal sciences include:
Agricultural & Environmental Chemistry, Animal Behavior, Animal Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Integrative Pathobiology, International Agricultural Development, Microbiology, Nutritional Biology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Population Biology.
To learn more about graduate programs at UC Davis and how to apply visit: https://www.ucdavis.edu/academics/graduate