Center for Continuing Professional Education (CCPE)

Meet the CCPE Team

CO-DIRECTOR
Jodi Westropp, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
jlwestropp@ucdavis.edu | Faculty page
Dr. Westropp is the co-director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education, and the director of the G.V. Ling Urinary Stone Analysis Laboratory. She did her undergraduate work at The Ohio State University and stayed at Ohio State to complete her veterinary degree in 1997. She then moved to NYC for a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the Animal Medical Center and returned to Ohio State for her internal medicine residency and PhD. She was board certified in veterinary medicine in 2001 and completed her PhD in 2004. She is currently a professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Her primary research focus is lower urinary tract disorders in dogs and cats.

CO-DIRECTOR
Jane Sykes, BVSc (Hons), PhD, MBA, GCPH, DACVIM
jesykes@ucdavis.edu | Faculty page
Dr. Sykes is the co-director of the Center for Continuing Professional Education. She received her veterinary degree (1993) and a PhD (1998) in veterinary microbiology from the University of Melbourne (Australia). She completed her residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Minnesota and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Dr. Sykes stayed on at Minnesota as a clinical faculty member before coming to UC Davis in 2002. Her leadership roles at UC Davis have included chief of the Internal Medicine Service, biosecurity officer of the Small Animal Clinic, director of the Small Animal Clinic, and chief veterinary medical officer of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Dr. Sykes holds a MBA (2020) from the University of Georgia Terry School of Business and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health (2022) from Kansas State University. She specializes in infectious diseases of dogs and cats, and in diseases that result from abnormalities in the immune system.

PROGRAM MANAGER
Melissa M. Bartholomew, MS, RVT
mmbartholomew@ucdavis.edu
Office: (530) 752-9461
Melissa Bartholomew is the Program Manager for the Center for Continuing Professional Education at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Her primary role is to develop, manage and oversee educational programs. Melissa is also the central point of contact and can guide programmatic, research, and philanthropic collaborations. Prior to this role, she has been in the Veterinary Medical profession for over 20 years and most recently was the Manager of Small Animal Internal Medicine and Community Practice Services at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Melissa is a Registered Veterinary Technician and holds a MS in Education Technology from DeVry University, as well as a BS in Animal Science from UC Davis.

PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Sarah Her
sarher@ucdavis.edu
Office: (530) 752-3905
Sarah Her is the Program Coordinator for the Center for Continuing Professional Education at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Her primary role is to organize the educational programs and is an essential contact to those who have questions about the current and upcoming programs. Prior to this role, she worked with students with developmental disabilities in Southern California. Sarah holds a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. You can find Sarah and her cat Artemis on various hiking adventures.

STUDENT ASSISTANT
Cryseida Garcia
Cryseida Garcia is a Student Assistant for the Center for Continuing Professional Education at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Her primary role is to assist the team with conferences and social media development. She is also a full-time student majoring in Animal Science and minoring in Chicana/Chicano Studies. Prior to this role she worked for a community center that aids underrepresented families in South Central Los Angeles. She enjoys making her living space comfortable and decorating.