Endowed Chair in Accessible Veterinary Care Named at UC Davis

Dr. Emily McCobb, DVM, MS, DACVAA brings her expertise to UC Davis to foster innovation of new models of accessible veterinary care across the U.S. with support from PetSmart Charities

PHOENIX, Aug. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Emily McCobb, DVM, MS, DACVAA has been named the inaugural PetSmart Charities Endowed Chair in Accessible Veterinary Care at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. The role has been permanently funded by a $6 million grant, the single most sizeable grant in PetSmart Charities® 30-year history. 

More than 60% of American homes include pets and are considered important members of the family. But not all pet parents have sufficient means to provide veterinary care for their animal companions, resulting in tragic decisions that impact families and communities when too many pets either go without necessary care or enter the shelter system instead of staying in loving homes.

McCobb's appointment signals the school's focus on ensuring pets and their families can find the health care they need by inspiring innovation across the entire veterinary system.

"I'm extremely honored to have been selected. UC Davis is the pinnacle of veterinary education and a school we all look up to," McCobb said. "It's time to reshape our profession and drive efforts like those in human medicine to ensure more pets get the care they need to thrive. That's a lens I look forward to sharing at UC Davis – not all pet parents are privileged, but as veterinarians we took an oath to care for all animals. I'm also grateful PetSmart Charities had the vision to sustain this kind of support. It'll inspire other universities to launch programs designed to expand care models that serve a wider array of families."

In 2023, PetSmart Charities made a $100 million commitment over five years to improving veterinary care models to ensure more equitable access to the care pets need to thrive. Grants such as this one are designed to address the many barriers to care for pet parents including rising costs, a shortage of practitioners, regulatory challenges, language and outdated payment models. The permanent funding for the endowed chair faculty role at one of the nation's top veterinary school marks a sustaining investment in that promise. 

UC Davis' Access to Care program has helped advance new models of care in the veterinary profession, and the PetSmart Charities Endowed Chair in Accessible Veterinary Care establishes a position from which McCobb can further develop those models and provide leadership nationally.

Escalating costs of care and a shortage of veterinary practitioners create an urgent need for accessible veterinary care. 

• PetSmart Charities estimates 50 million pets a year lack access to standard and preventive veterinary care.
• Prices for urban veterinarian services increased by 7.9% from February 2023 to February 2024, more than 2½ times higher than the average of all consumer items, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Nearly 30% of pet parents report a veterinary bill of $499 or less would land them in debt.

McCobb invested numerous years of her career into making an impact on as many pets as possible at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, most recently serving as clinical associate professor of anesthesiology and director of the school's shelter medicine program. McCobb's experiences with community programs raised her own awareness around the plight of pets and families making difficult decisions when affordable care was out of reach.  

McCobb is most proud of contributing to a culture at Tufts that embraced student-led efforts to deliver veterinary care to local communities, including pet-friendly subsidized housing. This has informed her plans to ensure students can advocate for a spectrum of veterinary care options to partner with pet parents and offer more contextualized care that considers their financial needs. Her role will also take her across the speaker circuit to influence needed change across the veterinary ecosystem serving pets and people.  

"We're thrilled Dr. McCobb is taking on this incredible opportunity," said Robyn Jaynes, DVM, director of veterinary affairs at PetSmart Charities. "We know she'll bring expert leadership and representation to the academic and broader veterinary communities while also helping to mitigate barriers to care, advance research and innovation and gather stakeholders to address this increasingly pressing problem with creativity and resolve." 

"Dr. McCobb was an ideal choice – her proven leadership and passion for accessible veterinary care is exactly what is needed in this role," said Dr. Mark Stetter, DVM, DACZM, dean of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "She has helped to build a curriculum and explored research in this area so that others can learn about this increasingly important topic. In this new role, she now has the opportunity at UC Davis to elevate this work and make an even greater impact." 

Endowed chair roles are designed to attract the best and brightest in academia. These prestigious faculty members have access to permanent funding needed to investigate, innovate and develop solutions and share them broadly. Because these positions are endowed with a specific area of focus, they live on and continue to deliver impact, building on the accomplishments of each successive chair holder. 

"It's exciting to know that this endowment means someone will always take on this role," said McCobb. "I'm the first to hold the distinction and intend to create a strong program for the future." 

About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps up to 400,000 pets connect with loving families each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. PetSmart Charities grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crises with access to food, shelter and disaster response. Each year, millions of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities directly at PetSmartCharities.org, while shopping at PetSmart.com, and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart® stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting more than $500 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart LLC, PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the past 18 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of rated charities. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org. 

About UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine 
The top-ranked UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has more than 700 students pursuing the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and other professional and graduate degrees, and offers the nation's largest veterinarian residency program with more than 35 specialties. More than $89 million in annual research funding is applied to benefit animal, human and planetary health. The school's hospital treats more than 50,000 patients each year, and the school's programs extend across California and globally. The school's Access to Care Program helps provide world-class veterinary care to dogs and cats of clients with limited resources or other barriers to care. For many years, our faculty, staff, and students have addressed the needs of underserved communities, shelters, and rescue groups through community-based initiatives that provide animal care, also partnering with the School of Nursing to provide a human/animal One Health approach. The school is ranked #1 nationally by US News & World Report.

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SOURCE PetSmart Charities, Inc.