Joao Henrique Neves Soares*
Assistant Professor
College/School/Department: School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences
* Denotes first-generation faculty
What made you choose Davis?
I did my residency in veterinary anesthesia here between 2009 and 2012. After that, I worked as a staff member in the anesthesia service of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the university between 2012 and 2014. The VMTH at UC Davis has one of the strongest anesthesia programs in the world. In addition, the city of Davis and its surroundings are phenomenal! Davis has a very vibrant community. Living here you are also close to the seashore, the wine valleys and Lake Tahoe, which is incredible. I am very glad to be back!
What inspires you?
A great source of inspiration for me is watching the students grow throughout their career.
What research are you currently working on? What makes it unique?
My major research plan is to understand the effects of anesthetic techniques, including the ventilation management, on outcomes of our animal patient population. The uniqueness of this area of research is to produce data that can be directly applied to the benefit of our patient population that requires anesthesia for surgery or diagnostic procedures.
If you could impart one piece of advice to our undergraduates seeking a course of study/career path, what would it be?
Don’t give up easily! Follow your dreams and make a written strategic plan to achieve them. Create palpable steps for your trajectory with defined goals, and revise your plan as you move forward.
When not in the classroom or conducting research, what do you like to do?
I enjoy time with my wife and two daughters (aged 3 and 5) doing outdoor activities. Barbecue is a Brazilian tradition that we try to keep alive here.
Have you found your favorite spot on campus yet?
I like to bike with my daughters around the arboretum, and the Meat Lab is a great place to get the traditional beef cut called “Picanha” (untrimmed cap of sirloin).
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
Speed of light! Having super speed powers would allow me to be much more efficient. It would also be quite helpful to assist large animals, especially horses, recovering from anesthesia. Having this power would also allow me to better assist a large animal recovering from anesthesia with minimal chances of injuring myself.