Jonna Mazet, a world-renowned epidemiologist, wildlife veterinarian, and expert in emerging zoonotic disease surveillance and capacity strengthening, will retire at the end of 2025 after 30 years of exemplary service to UC Davis. Mazet, the Vice Provost of Grand Challenges, came to UC Davis as an undergraduate to become a veterinarian. She earned four degrees over 10 years then joined the faculty in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, which she helped to elevate as a leader in global health.

“It is impossible to capture in words the incredible things that Jonna has done for humanity, wildlife, and UC Davis over her career,” said Mary Croughan, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. “She has been a visionary and transformative force on our campus and far beyond, improving the lives of countless people and animals through infectious disease prevention and response, wildlife medicine, and collaborative, creative research. Her incredible work continues through the hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral trainees she has taught and mentored, and the thousands of colleagues who have worked with and learned from her.”

A distinguished professor of epidemiology and disease ecology in the School of Veterinary Medicine, Mazet became Vice Provost of Grand Challenges in 2021 and launched an initiative that leverages UC Davis’s strengths and brings experts together from across the university to solve the world’s wicked problems. Upon Mazet’s retirement, Grand Challenges’ work will continue, shifting from the Office of the Provost to the Office of Research under the leadership of Grand Challenges Associate Vice Chancellor Paul Dodd.

Throughout her career, Mazet has focused on identifying scientifically sound solutions to problems involving the wildlife-livestock-human interface, elevating our understanding of the role that veterinarians and epidemiologists play in global health problem-solving. Following on the foundational work of past School of Veterinary Medicine leaders in developing the concept of One Health that examines the interface between humans, animals, and their environment, Dr. Mazet founded and served as the Executive Director of the One Health Institute within the School of Veterinary Medicine. One Health now serves as the standard by which global health is practiced across the world and has been recognized by the White House Office of Science and Technology, the National Security Council, the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the European Union, among others.

“Jonna’s founding leadership of our One Health Institute added an important new dimension to the School of Veterinary Medicine that has had a transformational impact in the veterinary field and beyond,” said Mark Stetter, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. “Her leadership has helped change the way the world thinks about infectious diseases and our approaches to understanding and managing these across species and environments. We applaud her contributions to global health.”

As a principal and co-principal investigator, Jonna has been awarded more than $238 million in grants and contracts just since 2007 to support research of zoonotic viruses, wildlife and livestock health, and emerging pandemic threats. As PI of the PREDICT Project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2009 to 2020, Mazet led an international team of hundreds of scientists charged with discovering and tracking zoonotic viruses that could cause epidemics in people and animals. PREDICT’s worldwide network identified 1,000 new zoonotic viruses – including the most coronaviruses of any effort, the Bombali ebolavirus that can infect human cells, as well as the presence of Marburg virus in regions where it previously was not known to exist. The PREDICT Project team also developed protocols and guides on how to implement safe methods of surveillance for use around the globe, leading the world’s efforts in pandemic prevention and response.

"UC Davis has been more than just an institution for me – it has been a rich fertile ground, a supportive community that has nurtured my growth, expanded my vision, and continually reminded me of what’s possible when people come together with shared purpose,” Mazet said. “Every step of my professional journey here has been enriched by extraordinary colleagues, mentors, and students, whose brilliance and generosity made any achievements possible. I leave with profound gratitude for the collaborations, friendships, and opportunities that have shaped not only my career, but who I am as a person."

Mazet has received numerous awards over her career, including the K.F. Meyer/James H. Steele Gold-Headed Cane from the American Veterinary One Health Society and the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Global Veterinary Service Award. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and is an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. Mazet has actively served on numerous boards, committees, and councils, including the Standing Committee on Emerging Infectious Diseases and 21^st Century Threats as well as its Forum on Microbial Threats and multiple committees for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Mazet began her career as a wildlife veterinarian for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and played a pivotal role in shaping oil spill preparedness and response, helping to develop the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, or OWCN. The OWCN, which serves as an enduring model for wildlife emergency management systems worldwide, moved from the state to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with Mazet in 1998 when she was named director of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center. She earned four degrees at UC Davis: a Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science, a Master’s in Preventative Veterinary Medicine, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology.

“We thank Dr. Mazet for her many outstanding contributions to our university and to the world,” Croughan said. “I believe that Jonna embodies the essence of what it means to be an Aggie – tackling our most complex issues with creativity, collaboration, and determination while ensuring that all will benefit. How fortuitous it was for us that she came to UC Davis to study and chose to dedicate her career to serving the world through higher education. She will be deeply missed.”