In 1983, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) welcomed its inaugural class of students. The original hospital could accommodate about 12,000 patient visits annually and support 10 specialties. Over the next four decades, demand soared and the field evolved. It became clear that a much larger and more advanced facility was needed to meet the growing needs of both patients and students.
In 2021, a two-part, $174 million project — comprising the long-anticipated instructional facility and hospital expansion (SVM North) and renovations to the original building (SVM South) — broke ground. Funding, which came from the 2019 state budget and $62.5 million of private gift support via the school’s Animals Need Heroes Too campaign, was made possible by strong support from community and alumni advocates.
“The agricultural and veterinary medical communities were instrumental in voicing support to their elected officials,” says Kristi Thorson MA’97, associate dean for advancement and administration for the school. “This project would not have happened without an incredible support network.”
Veterinarians Kimberly Kratt DVM’00 and Doug Kratt DVM’98, owners of Central Animal Hospital in Onalaska, Wisconsin, were among more than 1,000 donors who contributed to the project. As animal care professionals, they witness firsthand how a lack of resources can impact both pet owners and their pets.
“Having something physical like a [lack of] space limit student learning and patient care is a barrier we wanted to remove,” says Kimberly Kratt.
The 150,000-square-foot SVM North building opened in June 2024, with the 35,000-square-foot SVM South set for completion in 2025. The new facility features a variety of cutting-edge spaces, including five additional private exam rooms, nine state-of-the-art operating theaters, three fully equipped echocardiogram bays, and enhanced imaging capabilities. A new on-site covered area provides a safer environment to assess larger animal patients. SVM North further expands access to veterinary care with a newly enlarged emergency department, improving care for patients statewide.
Additionally, veterinarians outside Madison, like the Kratts, have digital access to clinicians and specialists in every field. “We rarely have to tell a distraught pet owner, ‘There’s nothing more [we] can do,’ ” says Kratt. “With the UW in our backyard, there is always another level of care for those patients who need it.”
The expansion is not only critical to the educational mission of the School of Veterinary Medicine, but it also supports its leading-edge research capabilities. Positioned at the intersection of animal and human health, the school is a world leader in critical research areas, including infectious diseases and canine cancer. “Space constraints were going to limit the ability of the school’s faculty to successfully compete for research grants that advance important discoveries that benefit animal and human health,” says Thorson. Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine conduct 75 percent of all infectious disease research on campus, and their work has had a worldwide impact, contributing to studies of diseases such as COVID and influenza. This research benefits people across the globe while also enhancing the quality of care provided by Wisconsin’s veterinarians.
A particular emphasis on collaborative spaces in the new building has also been a game changer. These new spaces foster small-group learning, enhance hands-on student training, and encourage collaboration between faculty and researchers.
“With the north building, our clinicians and faculty have modern spaces that match their expertise and allow them to innovate,” says Jonathan Levine, the school’s dean.
Above the hospital, new research spaces are equipped with the modern tools needed to support breakthroughs and innovation. “Having research space so near where we serve patients reinforces our long tradition of blending discovery with practice,” says Levine. The expansion ensures that the School of Veterinary Medicine will continue to lead in both veterinary education and groundbreaking research.
