Paws and profits: New faces in equine surgery and cancer immunotherapy

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has welcomed 2 new clinical professors. Meanwhile, ELIAS Animal Health, a medical biotechnology company focusing on cancer immunotherapies for veterinary medicine, has a new addition to its Scientific Advisory Board: a distinguished veterinary oncologist that was instrumental to the development of the only canine melanoma vaccine.

Continue reading to learn more about each of these individuals:

Sandra Valdez, DVM, DACVS, DABVP (Equine), clinical professor, UC Davis

Sandra Valdez, DVM, DACVS, DABVP (Equine). (Image courtesy of UC Davis)

Earlier this year, the Equine Surgical Emergency and Critical Care Service from the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital announced Sandra Valdez, DVM, DACVS, DABVP (Equine), was joining its team as a clinical professor. In 2005, she completed her equine surgery residency at UC Davis.

With 30 years of international experience as an equine veterinarian and surgeon, Valdez has treated endurance Arabians, racing Thoroughbreds, Warmblood sport horses, and pleasure-riding horses. Valdez’s prior roles include associate veterinary surgeon at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in California; locum veterinary surgeon in Ohio, Virginia, California, and Dubai; and associate veterinary surgeon at the Dubai Equine Hospital in the United Arab Emirates.

“The Emirati people are very warm and welcoming, and I will miss their generous hospitality, but coming back to UC Davis feels like coming home,” said Valdez in a UC Davis release.¹ “The years I spent at UC Davis were the best of my life, and I’m thrilled to return to such an incredible team.”

Carter Judy, DVM, DACVS, clinical professor, UC Davis

Carter Judy, DVM, DACVS. (Image courtesy of UC Davis)

UC Davis also welcomed Carter Judy, DVM, DACVS, renowned equine surgeon, as a clinical professor at its Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital’s Equine Surgery and Lameness Service. Judy earned his DVM at UC Davis and later returned for a 3-year residency in equine surgery and one year as a clinical instructor with the Equine Emergency and Critical Care Service. Over the last 22 years, Judy worked as a surgeon at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos, California.

According to a UC Davis release, the ability to mentor and develop the next generation of equine veterinarians and surgeons was a driving force behind Judy’s return to UC Davis. “Many of the problems and issues are expressed by the owners, trainers, and riders when they start discussing the case, and the information can be invaluable,” said Judy of a valuable lesson he plans to share with his students.² “It can lead you to one of the most rewarding things about being a surgeon—the feeling you get upon finishing a challenging surgery and seeing the look in the owner’s eye when you let them know that everything is going to be ok.”

The school’s longstanding leadership in advanced imaging and the development of its new imaging center is another reason behind his return. Judy believes UC Davis’ work in positron emission tomography (PET scan) and nuclear scintigraphy, alongside its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT scan) imaging facilities, will play a critical role in research aimed at advancing understanding of equine musculoskeletal disorders and developing new surgical and non-surgical treatments. According to UC Davis, one of Judy’s goals is to explore how these advanced imaging techniques relate to more traditional modalities like radiology and ultrasound.

Philip J. Bergman, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)

Philip J. Bergman, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology)

At ELIAS Animal Health, Philip J. Bergman, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology), has joined the Scientific Advisory Board. Bergman has an extensive career in clinical research and cancer treatment advancements with experience in veterinary oncology, immunotherapy, and translational medicine. Bergman has been instrumental to the development of novel cancer therapies, which include Oncept, a canine melanoma vaccine by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.

In his prior role, Bergman was global director of clinical studies for Mars Veterinary Health and VCA. He is also an adjunct faculty member of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and has served as chair of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Board of Regents and president of the Veterinary Cancer Society.

"I am particularly excited and honored to be joining the ELIAS Animal Health Scientific Advisory Board. As someone that wholly embraces cancer immunotherapy, I believe their recent USDA license for canine osteosarcoma represents the first of many ELIAS-led advancements to come in veterinary cancer immunotherapy,” Bergman said in a company release.³

References

1. Warren R. UC Davis welcomes Dr. Sandra Valdez as new equine surgeon. News release. University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. March 25, 2025. Accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-welcomes-dr-sandra-valdez-new-equine-surgeon
2. UC Davis welcomes Dr. Carter Judy as new equine surgeon. News release. University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. March 24, 2025. Accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-welcomes-dr-carter-judy-new-equine-surgeon
3. Philip J. Bergman, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology) joins ELIAS Animal Health Scientific Advisory Board. News release. ELIAS Animal Health. April 10, 2025.