Behavior Personnel
Veterinarians
Melissa Bain is board-certified in Veterinary Behavior and the Chief of Service of the Clinical Animal Behavior Service. She received her DVM from the University of Illinois in 1994. She then worked in a small animal exclusive veterinary practice in the Chicago suburbs for 1 1/2 years, as well as a mixed animal veterinary practice in rural Wisconsin for 2 1/2 years. After that she entered into the Clinical Veterinary Behavior Residency Program at University of California-Davis in 1998, and became board-certified in 2001. In 2007 she received a Masters’ degree in Advanced Clinical Research from the University of California School of Medicine. She is the immediate past-president of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. Her responsibilities include student and resident education, clinical case management, and research. Areas of research focus have been on clinical domestic animal behavior problems and human-animal bond issues, including research on dog-parks and the effects of different training methods on the behavior of dogs. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, son, and 4-legged family members.
Jeannine Berger is board-certified in Veterinary Behavior with special interest in equine behavior. She received her DVM from Switzerland in 1991. She then worked at the University of Zürich School of Veterinary Medicine in Switzerland, enrolled in a residency in Large Animal Reproduction, and worked in the ambulatory field service and small animal practice until coming to the United States in 1998. She entered into the Clinical Veterinary Behavior Residency Program at University of California-Davis in 2005, and became board-certified in 2007. Her current areas of research are on equine behavior, such as cribbing behavior, weaning stress in foals, and neotony in Equids. She is conducting a research project on neuropathic pain in headshaking horses with Drs. John Madigan and Monica Aleman. She enjoys teaching students, residents, veterinarians, and horse owners, as well as seeing clinical cases. Most off all she enjoys spending time with her 3 horses, 2 dogs and 3 cats.
Rachel Malamed, DVM
Dr. Rachel Malamed was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She graduated in 2005 from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Canada. She then worked in private practice during which time she also assisted in training dogs for a Toronto based dog training company (Who’s Walking Who). Rachel gained her experience in the behavior field largely while working with ACVB diplomates and attending advanced courses and seminars in clinical animal behavior. In 2007 she completed a rotating internship at the Animal Specialty Group, Inc. in Los Angeles and is currently a first year behavior resident at UC Davis. Rachel’s interests include neuromolecular mechanisms of learning and behavior, compulsive and separation related disorders.
Eranda Rajapaksha, BVSc, MSc
Dr Eranda Rajapaksha was born and raised in Sri Lanka and obtained Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree from University of Perdeniya. After graduation he worked as a clinician in Veterinary teaching hospital, university of Peradeniya and did a internship in elephant orphanage, Pinnawala. He participated on a training program on animal assisted therapy organized by Delta society Australia in 2003. He was the consultant veterinarian in Mine- Free Planet which train dogs for detection of land mines. Dr Eranda was awarded the Shell Centenary scholarship to University of Edinburgh in Scotland to follow the Masters program in Applied Animal Behavior and welfare in year 2004. During this time he participated on a study on welfare of captive elephants in the UK and studied on elephant locomotion. His interests are on working dogs, animal welfare, human animal interactions and animal assisted therapy. Dr Rajapaksha’s ongoing research concentrates on feline olfactory behavior.