For the first time, the CVMA is excited to offer an Early Career Veterinarian track at the 2026 Pacific Veterinary Conference in Sacramento! This in-person–only track is built to support newly graduated clinicians as they begin their careers in veterinary medicine.
Dani Rabwin, DVM, serves on the CVMA’s Education Committee as the inaugural Early Career Veterinarian Track chair. A 2004 graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Rabwin is the founder of ReadyVetGo, a remote mentorship program and community for early-career veterinarians. In this role, Dr. Rabwin has gleaned first-hand knowledge of the unique obstacles facing veterinarians who are new to the field.
“New grads know medicine very, very well,” Dr. Rabwin said. “But they struggle with confidence, communication, connecting with clients, and translating all of that really amazing knowledge they just learned in four years of veterinary school into actual practice with patients.”
Working with so many developing veterinarians, Dr. Rabwin has noted that there is a large gap between what new graduates and seasoned clinicians need out of continuing education offerings. Whereas CE typically focuses on specialty knowledge or new treatments for diagnosed diseases, emerging professionals often desire more practical skills that can immediately be applied on the ground. “There are a hundred things that need to happen between having the patient on the schedule to diagnosis of a disease,” Dr. Rabwin said.
Gershon Alaluf, DVM, MBA, will be a cornerstone of this year’s PacVet Early Career program. Dr. Alaluf is a general practice veterinarian of over 30 years and a current doctoral candidate in early career wellbeing at Pepperdine University. Two of Dr. Alulaf’s sessions will be clinical case rounds—one on GI, one on dermatology—reviewing common presenting complaints, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and skin and ear diseases.
He will also be hosting a fun 75-minute session called “They Didn’t Teach Us That in Vet School,” covering common cases that are rarely addressed in a teaching hospital, like torn dewclaws and cat bite abscesses.
Another lecture will feature a panel of specialists leading a game entitled “Horse, Zebra or Unicorn?” In this interactive, fun session, the speakers will display a slide with limited information and ask the attendees to work through a diagnosis. Is this a horse (a common diagnosis)? A zebra (something rare)? Or a unicorn (a case that ends with no set answer)?
“Unicorns are what new grads struggle with,” Dr. Rabwin said. “Because everything in vet school ends up having a diagnosis, they are very hard on themselves when either the client does not elect to pursue diagnostic testing, so we can’t get a diagnosis, or we do diagnostic testing, and we don’t get to wrap it up in a pretty bow. I call those cases unicorns, and this session is an opportunity to normalize that we don’t always get an answer, but we give the client a bland diet and some probiotics, and it is fine. That happens all the time.”
In addition, Dr. Rabwin is planning a town hall-style panel featuring new graduates who will answer questions from the audience. All members of the veterinary team are invited to attend this session—from practice owners to more seasoned veterinarians—to hear the perspective of practitioners who are just entering the field.
We are thrilled to welcome professionals in the early stages of their careers to this special track at PacVet. Your dedication, curiosity, and fresh perspectives are critical to the future of our profession, and we are honored to help foster your growth as blossoming clinicians! We hope to see you in Sacramento!
To learn more about the full Early Career Veterinarian track and to register, please visit Speakers and Sessions.
Held in Sacramento at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center on June 18–21, 2026, PacVet is designed to support the entire veterinary team with practical education, flexible attendance options, and opportunities to connect with colleagues and exhibitors. Here are five reasons attendees return to PacVet year after year.