Donald G. Low/CVMA Clinical Veterinary Medical Academy

The Donald G. Low/CVMA Clinical Veterinary Medical Academy, a joint activity between the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital faculty, is designed to meet California practitioners' needs not available within residencies or other current programs. It is specifically intended for California practitioners. The Don Low Academy is a 20-day program that can be completed consecutively in one month or spread out over the year, but must be finished within the program cycle (August–July).

Applications for the 2027 - 2028 Cycle will open in September 2026!

Academy Scholar Application Description

All applications must be submitted electronically. The deadline for 2027–2028 applications is by 5:00 PM (PST) on December 18, 2026.

Incomplete or ineligible applications will be disqualified.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee composed of representatives from the CVMA and UC Davis faculty. Finalists will be notified following the review process.

Selected Academy Scholars must commit to a minimum of 20 days in the program. Each Scholar will be matched with a VMTH faculty mentor in their area of interest to refine a proposal. This proposal will define the Scholar’s goals and ensure they align with what the medical academy can provide.

The program will begin in August 2027 and end July 2028.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for the medical academy, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

Be an active member of the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and maintain membership throughout the duration of the program
Have graduated from veterinary school at least five years prior to the time of application
Currently reside in California
Submit contact information for two professional references.

Applicants are responsible for notifying their selected references to complete the Don Low Academy Reference Form.

Important: It is the applicant's responsibility to send the Don Low Academy Reference Form directly to their references for completion. All reference forms must be submitted by 5:00 PM (PST) on January 8, 2027.

We recommend using Google Chrome to complete the reference forms, as other browsers may not be fully compatible and could cause issues.

Services and Additional Information

Services for Don Low Academy 2027-2028 academic year will be posted soon.

Don Low/CVMA Clinical Veterinary Medical Academy Application: Link coming soon.

The SVVMA Charitable Foundation has worked with the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital to guarantee an academic scholar position for SVVMA members when applicable. SVVMA members who are selected as Scholars are asked to provide a 5–10 minute presentation about their Academy experience to SVVMA members at a meeting following completion of the program.

Qualifications

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of competitive merit, with preference given to CVMA members.
One SVVMA member will be given preference if all other qualifications are met.
Only applicants who are at least five years post-graduation are eligible for a Scholar position.
Scholars are awarded 100 Continuing Education credits.

Contact Information

Please contact the Center for Veterinary Postgraduate Education at (530) 752-3905 or [email protected] for any related questions.