Jim Clark, DVM, MBA
U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Jim Clark is a veterinarian, entrepreneur, educator, and animal lover. After deciding to pursue a veterinary career in the third grade, Clark gained experience with a wide range of animal species, including companion animals and wildlife. He also volunteered in an international program working with cattle and poultry in Central America. During his undergraduate studies at U.C. Davis, Clark worked at the Sacramento Zoo for three years as a keeper intern.
Clark received a B.S. in Zoology from U.C. Davis, graduating with high honors. He received his veterinary degree from U.C. Davis in 1988, earning the Hill’s Small Animal Clinical Competency award as a Senior. During his first five years in practice, Clark worked in several large, multi-doctor general practices in Napa and San Diego. He developed a passion for emergency and critical care medicine and practiced exclusively in this area for 20 years.
In 1993, Clark founded the Pet Emergency & Specialty Center in San Diego. While growing this practice, he also worked as an adjunct professor at San Diego Mesa College for five years, teaching anatomy, physiology, surgery, and anesthesia in an RVT training program. In 1998, Clark co-founded the Pet Emergency & Specialty Center of Marin in San Rafael, fly commuting from San Diego to assist in its early development. In 2002, he completed a two-year MBA program at the San Diego State College of Business Administration, graduating as valedictorian.
After relocating to the Bay Area in 2002, Clark completed a one-year fellowship in emergency and critical care medicine at U.C. Davis. He and his partners acquired two additional emergency/specialty practices, the PETS Referral Center in Berkeley and the Solano-Napa Pet Emergency Clinic in Fairfield. Clark assisted in oversight of these practices for many years, retiring from ownership in 2020.
Clark served as the Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal Veterinary Team Brief and has authored articles on several veterinary topics. He has been active in local and state professional associations as well as volunteer organizations assisting pets and people both locally and internationally. Clark served as President of the Marin County Veterinary Medical Association and Chairperson of CVMA’s Economic Issues . He also served on the boards of the Marin Humane Society, Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society, and the VIN Foundation.
In 2010, Clark joined the faculty of the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine as a part-time faculty professor, teaching leadership, professionalism, communication, mental health, critical thinking, and business management. As co-leader of the “Doctoring” course, he greatly enjoys working with and learning from his students. Clark also enjoys working with many skilled colleagues at Davis and in private clinical practice. Under his direction, the Doctoring course has undergone numerous revisions based on feedback from students and is now a highly rated part of the school’s curriculum. Clark received the 2016 Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Award and the 2017 national SAVMA Teaching Excellence Award.
Clark’s primary professional interests are in teaching, professional communication, and business management. He also has a passion for wildlife conservation, is certified in chemical immobilization techniques, and has completed training in Africa on wildlife immobilization. His personal interests include volunteer work, travel, hiking, backpacking, skiing, wake surfing, target shooting, and sea kayaking.