The University of California, Davis, today announced the largest gift ever made to veterinary medicine worldwide: $120 million from philanthropists Joan and Sanford I. Weill through the Weill Family Foundation to support its top-ranked veterinary school.

In recognition of this commitment, the university has renamed the school the University of California, Davis, Joan and Sanford I. Weill School of Veterinary Medicine — or simply the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine.

“UC Davis is home to one of the world’s most outstanding veterinary schools and many of the brightest minds in animal and human medicine,” said Sanford “Sandy” I. Weill, a long-serving member of the UC Davis Chancellor’s Board of Advisors. “We are proud to support an institution where groundbreaking research and compassionate care are prioritized together, and where discovery benefits both animal and human health.”

The gift is one of the largest in university history. It will strengthen UC Davis’ leadership in comparative medicine — the study of health and disease across species — and advance translational research initiatives for diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders and cardiovascular conditions that affect both animals and humans. The funds will also support a reimagined, leading-edge renewal of the veterinary campus including construction of a small animal teaching hospital and expand the school’s capacity to train the next generation of veterinarians.

“By naming our veterinary school in Joan and Sandy’s honor, we celebrate their transformative generosity and lasting commitment to improve the health of all species,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “UC Davis is world-renowned for excellence in veterinary medicine, research and service. We are deeply grateful for Joan and Sandy’s vision and partnership to help us accelerate the great work taking place here.”

Transformative impact

Dr. Mark Stetter, dean of the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, said the Weills’ support will revolutionize what is possible in veterinary medicine.

“Joan and Sandy Weill’s extraordinary generosity will allow UC Davis to move faster, think bigger and rise to meet the most urgent challenges facing our world,” Stetter said. “This gift empowers us to drive discoveries, expand access to world-class education and develop new insights at the intersection of veterinary and human health. It launches an exciting new era in veterinary medicine and provides the catalyst needed to advance the construction of our new hospital. With continued support from our philanthropic community, we can bring this vision to completion.”

Eighty million dollars of the gift will help build a new small animal teaching hospital, part of the school’s $750 million Veterinary Medical Complex expansion initiative to build the premier veterinary campus in the world. The current facility, which is already one of the busiest veterinary hospitals in the world, cares for approximately 50,000 patients annually. 

Designed to meet the growing demand of clients, educate more students and expand the school’s impact, the state-of-the-art facility will enable:

• Care for up to 20,000 additional animals across an array of specialties;
• More cutting-edge research and clinical trials, advancing treatments that benefit both animals and humans; and
• Integration of artificial intelligence and precision medicine, unlocking new possibilities in diagnostics, treatment planning and patient outcomes.

The Weills’ support will help UC Davis address the shortage of veterinarians by expanding the facilities and infrastructure needed to recruit and train more veterinary students and specialists in high-demand fields such as emergency and critical care, oncology, neurology, cardiology and primary care.

The remaining $40 million will be dedicated to fundamental and clinical research. The enhanced research funding will accelerate team science, support early-stage discovery projects and enable faculty to pursue high-impact ideas that often fall outside traditional funding sources. 

In making the gift, the Weills cited the school’s track record of collaboration with UC Davis Health, UCSF and other academic medical centers to advance discoveries that lead to breakthroughs in care, diagnostics and treatments for animals and people. 

For instance, stem cell techniques developed in bulldog puppies with spina bifida helped enable surgeons at UC Davis Health to treat the condition in humans before a child is born, significantly improving lives for dogs and people. In another recent study, UCSF and UC Davis partnered to develop a clinical trial that benefitted cats with squamous cell carcinoma, opening potential new paths for treatment in humans. 

With expanded research capacity and facilities, UC Davis will be equipped to pursue similar breakthroughs that directly improve the lives of animals and people.

Connection, commitment

The couple’s decision to support veterinary medicine is deeply personal. 

Joan Weill at one time aspired to become a veterinarian. The couple’s beloved dog Angel received care at UC Davis after being diagnosed with lymphoma in 2018. That experience inspired their early support for clinical trials at the veterinary school and, later, the Joan Weill Translational Research Endowment. 

“Angel’s care at UC Davis left a lasting impression on our family,” said Joan Weill. “As Sandy and I became more involved with the school over the years, we have been continually inspired by its leadership, dedication to team science, pursuit of solving complex health challenges, and its unwavering commitment to animals and the families who love them. The faculty clinician scientists are among the leading experts in the world at what they do, and supporting this extraordinary community is both meaningful and an honor.”

Moreover, their connection to UC Davis spans more than a decade. Sandy Weill has served on the UC Davis Chancellor’s Board of Advisors since 2014, helping guide the university’s long-term strategy. He has also spoken at commencement for the Graduate School of Management, and the pair have hosted UC Davis students and faculty in their Sonoma County home.

“Joan and Sandy have been extraordinary champions for UC Davis,” said Shaun B. Keister, vice chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations. “Their leadership over the years has made a remarkable difference, and I’m truly inspired by their dedication.”

Visionary philanthropy for a healthier future

Joan and Sandy Weill are among the world’s most influential philanthropists, having contributed more than $1.5 billion to educational, medical and cultural institutions. Their support has led to advancements in neuroscience, cancer research, immunology and more.

In recent years, they established the Weill Neurohub, a partnership with UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, the University of Washington and the Allen Institute that accelerates treatments for brain diseases. They also created the Weill Cancer Hub West, a research collaboration between leading cancer centers at Stanford and UC San Francisco focused on advancing breakthroughs.

Their gift to UC Davis brings the Weills’ giving to the UC system to more than $500 million. In November, Joan and Sandy Weill received the prestigious University of California Presidential Medal, recognizing their extraordinary impact across the UC system and their enduring commitment to strengthening public education and public health. 

The Weills’ gift builds on the school’s fundraising momentum. In September, UC Davis announced that it had received enough donations to build a new veterinary education pavilion and primary care hospital and that it had launched the “Limitless” campaign to support additional fundraising for the Veterinary Medical Complex. The Weills’ gift more than doubles the support received to date and enables the small animal hospital to move forward.

About Joan and Sandy Weill

Sandy Weill, a renowned global leader in banking and finance, served as president of American Express and later as chair and CEO of Citigroup, where he helped build one of the world’s most influential financial institutions. In 1998, Mr. Weill was the recipient of Financial World magazine’s CEO of the Year Award and received the same honor from Chief Executive magazine in 2002. Today, he is chair of the Weill Family Foundation; founder and chair emeritus of the National Academy Foundation, a national education nonprofit that has supported more than half a million students; president of Carnegie Hall; chair emeritus of Weill Cornell Medicine; and honorary chair of Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Joan Weill is chair emerita of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she served as chair for 14 years and for whom the company’s theater is named. She has long championed women’s health as co-chair of the New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center’s Women’s Health Symposium and she founded the Sonoma Valley Hospital /UCSF Health Women’s Health Symposium on the West Coast. She has also held numerous leadership roles supporting the arts, wellness and community well-being. Joan and Sandy have been married for 70 years and they are recipients of the 2009 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy Award; 2017 Kennedy Center Award for the Human Spirit and 2022 Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Philanthropy.