Who We Are
Dr. Gaby Maier is the Extension veterinarian for Beef Cattle Herd Health & Production at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. She has an active research program studying infectious diseases of beef cattle as well as ways of improving beef production in California’s environment. For more information on her program visit the website Beef cattle herd health & production (ucanr.edu). She is also a state co-coordinator for the Beef Quality Assurance program in California. She graduated with a DVM from UC Davis in 2009 followed by a residency in Livestock Reproduction and Herd Health. She is board certified in preventive veterinary medicine and has a PhD in Epidemiology, also from UC Davis, where her research was focused on bovine respiratory disease in dairy calves.
Dr. Essam Abdelfattah is a professional research scientist at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center (VMTRC). He holds a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine, along with a PhD and a master’s degree in Poultry and Animal Behavior and Management. Additionally, he has completed postdoctoral scholar training at the UC Davis Department of Animal Science. Dr. Abdelfattah is currently working toward board certification by the American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW).
The primary focus of his research is to assess current practices, identify problem areas, and develop innovative methods to optimize animal production, health, and welfare. His current research emphasizes enhancing animal health and welfare through the early detection of disease using new technologies and mitigating stress and pain in animals. He employs behavioral and physiological measures to examine the impact of environmental conditions, nutrition, management practices, and housing design on animal health, production, and welfare. His extension program provides statewide leadership in dairy and beef cattle herd health and food safety, utilizing a variety of outreach and extension methods to educate clientele based on research findings and literature reviews.