Singular Vision with Exponential Impact
A $75M gift from Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao will accelerate the school’s efforts to create a healthier future for animals, people and the environment.
Defining moments often begin with a simple connection, even a conversation between friends. When Ken Hao heard from his friend, Sandy Weill, about his family’s historic gift to the school early this year, it sparked a desire to be part of a transformational moment at UC Davis.
In April, Hao and his wife, Kathy Chiao, announced their own extraordinary gift—$75M directed toward key efforts to advance translational medicine and access to care, support future veterinarians, and accelerate the construction of a new Small Animal Hospital that will bear their name.
“It is the care for animals that is of fundamental importance to humankind on earth,” said Hao in his remarks to hundreds of attendees gathered at the school’s campus in April to celebrate the historic $120M gift from Joan and Sanford I. Weill and the renaming of the school. “It has been a great honor to work with the Weills. I believe they are the healthcare philanthropists of our generation. We can't wait to be a part of this wonderful project with them.”
The gift from Chiao and Hao is the second largest individual gift the school has received, and the fourth largest in the university’s history. It reflects their deep respect and care for all living creatures and their belief in the school’s vision to advance health for animals, people and the environment.
The gift from Chiao and Hao is the second largest individual gift the school has received, and the fourth largest in the university’s history.
and Ken Hao.
Impact of Expansion
Part of Chiao and Hao’s gift will support the construction of a new Small Animal Hospital in the next phase of the Veterinary Medical Complex expansion. Their gift will name the hospital, which will provide advanced veterinary care, accommodate more patients annually, and increase space for student education and specialty training.
“There is a brilliant plan to support the future of veterinary medicine,” Hao remarked. “And really, it’s what goes on in the buildings that will change the world. The ambitious growth plans were inspiring to us.”
Today, the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital cares for approximately 50,000 animals annually. When construction is complete, the new small animal hospital will allow the school to care for up to 25,000 additional animals each year through an array of specialties. Expanded clinical and teaching spaces in the new hospital will also help the school educate and train more veterinarians and specialists, an increasingly important need amid a critical veterinary workforce shortage.
Critical Support for Animals When It Is Needed Most
Chiao and Hao’s generosity extends beyond the walls of the new hospital, supporting programs that help make veterinary care accessible when families face financial hardship. The school’s many accessible veterinary care programs rely on philanthropy to reach more animals every year.
The efforts include student-led clinics, compassionate care funds, and shelter medicine programs to help provide care for animals that may not otherwise receive veterinary treatment. Students, staff, and clinicians provide care through 39 clinics per year in underserved areas. More than 3,000 animals receive veterinary care every year thanks to these programs.
Chiao shared why this area of their philanthropy is especially meaningful. She and Hao understand personally the place animals hold within their family through their beloved dog, King King.
“For so many of us, pets are members of the family. Insurance for their care is still extremely rare, unlike human health care,” she said. “Our hearts go out to those who want treatment for their beloved family members but can't afford it. We believe that just as for people, the best health care and even most advanced sciences should be as available as possible.”
Growth with Purpose
Hao highlighted another key factor in their decision to support the school at this moment: the people who will carry veterinary medicine into the future.
“There is a worldwide shortage of resources in the animal medicine space. The world needs more veterinary science and more veterinarians,” he said. “And we're big believers in reducing the debt for veterinary students.”
UC Davis’ four-year DVM program costs approximately $260,000, including tuition and living expenses. Scholarships and fellowships can help reduce the financial burden for students, giving graduates greater freedom to pursue careers and serve communities where they are needed most.
The mean educational debt for UC Davis’ veterinary students, including those with no debt, is $84,994. According to the 2025 American Veterinary Medical Association’s report on the economic state of the veterinary profession, the average debt for all new veterinary school graduates, including those without debt, was $174,484 in 2025.
The gift from Chiao and Hao provides significant support to the school’s scholarship endowment, which must grow alongside the number of students the school plans to educate and train in the coming years. The school will increase total DVM enrollment from approximately 600 to 800 students and expand its residency and advanced training programs from approximately 140 to 190 trainees. As more future veterinarians and specialists are welcomed to UC Davis, growing scholarship and fellowship resources will be essential to ensuring that opportunity grows alongside enrollment.
Today, the school’s scholarship and fellowship endowment totals $134.1M, with funds distributed to 487 students in fiscal year 2024 to 2025 (most recent data available). Chiao and Hao’s investment will help extend that support to future generations of veterinary professionals, preparing more graduates to enter a field where their expertise is urgently needed.
Watch philanthropist Ken Hao share why he and Kathy Chiao chose to support future veterinarians though student scholarships.
Meeting the Moment
Chiao and Hao also see extraordinary potential at the intersection of animal and human health. A portion of their gift will advance the school’s innovative work in translational medicine, helping move promising discoveries toward new treatments and therapies.
“Time is of the essence in the arena of translational medicine, the intersection between humans and animals,” Hao said. “There are extraordinary things that can happen with the advances in AI and precision medicine. Kathy and I are excited to see the school at the forefront of that work.”
Their gift will help accelerate discoveries with the potential to benefit animals and people, as clinicians and researchers from UC Davis, UC San Francisco,
and other academic institutions collaborate on research with the potential to translate discoveries into effective treatments.
“It’s just incredibly exciting,” said Hao. “There is such synergy between people and animals, accelerating the development of therapeutics for all species.”
(Read examples of the school’s work in this issue's article on translational medicine.)
It was very easy for us to be all in. UC Davis leads by example.”
—Ken Hao
Limitless Potential
The generosity of Chiao and Hao, together with the historic support of Joan and Sanford I. Weill and other philanthropic partners, has created extraordinary momentum for the school’s future. The gift from Chiao and Hao helps bring the vision for the Veterinary Medical Complex to life, while creating opportunities to expand scholarships and faculty support, advance research and innovation, and ensure that breakthroughs in veterinary medicine reach the animals and communities that need them most.
While this support represents a major step forward, there is still significant philanthropic investment needed to fully realize the scope of the vision ahead. Dean Mark Stetter reflected on the lasting impact of their generosity and vision.
“This remarkable gift will help our school move forward quickly on many top priorities,” he said. “Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao’s generosity demonstrates the potential that philanthropy has to transform facilities, student support, accessible care and discovery. They asked about our greatest needs and then responded without hesitation.”
Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao’s generosity demonstrates the potential that philanthropy has to transform facilities, student support, accessible care and discovery.
—Dean Mark Stetter
For Chiao and Hao, their commitment represents the beginning of a relationship with UC Davis and an investment in a future filled with possibility.
“It was very easy for us to be all in,” Hao said. “UC Davis leads by example, and there is so much growth ahead…It is very early in our journey here, but it’s such an exciting one. We can’t wait.”