Welcome back to the herd: Joseph Davis

Hailing from the state of Washington, large animal surgeon Joseph Davis (he/him) was appointed in October as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, where he previously completed a residency in large animal surgery at the Hospital for Large Animals.

“The residency here was attractive due to the reputation of its hospital and its research,” Davis explains. Those reasons, and more, made Cummings School a desirable place to work. “My familiarity with the School, the state-of-the-art equipment available, and a steady clientele and caseload were other factors to return as a faculty member.”

Following his residency, Davis served for a year as a clinical instructor of large animal surgery at the University of Wisconsin, where his wife, Vanessa Yang, was finishing her residency. When Vanessa also landed a position (as a veterinary ophthalmologist) at Cummings School this fall, it worked out perfectly for them. “We like New England, which grew on me while I was a resident. We’re both from the West Coast so we are happy to settle on one of the coasts,” he shares.

“The opportunity to conduct research, supported by the school, and the collaboration with colleagues from many different fields are pretty unique to universities, and very rare in private practice,” he says. “And I really enjoy working with the students. They’re excited when they get to do new things and as a recent resident it’s fun to share what I went through and what I learned from it.”

Despite joining the School mid-semester, he is helping with the large animal surgery labs and teaching in the Principles of Surgery course. Davis eagerly awaits participating in upcoming research projects and surgery. 

“We’re doing some free pilot studies, proof of concept and grant applications to get those rolling, but I’m also getting to know my colleagues better, to help them get acclimated, and to do as much surgery and assist as many animals as I can.”