Key takeaways:
- The UC Davis Health video team received the NorCal Emmy Award for its documentary Saving Viggo.
- The story follows Viggo, a kitten with hydrocephalus whose surgery could help advance treatment for infants with the same condition.
- This is the third Emmy for the video team of Pamela Wu and Chris Nelson.
(SACRAMENTO)
A documentary about a kitten whose surgery could help advance treatment for babies with hydrocephalus earned a Northern California Emmy Award on Saturday night. This marks the third Emmy win since 2021 for the UC Davis Health video team.
The Emmy was awarded in the category of Health/Medical - News or Long Form Content for Saving Viggo: The Kitten Surgery That Could Help Babies with Hydrocephalus. It was presented at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences San Francisco/Northern California Chapter awards gala in Sacramento. The winning team included:
- Christopher Nelson, senior video content producer
- Pamela Wu, director of news and media relations
- Kevin Ulrich, contributing photographer
The documentary follows Viggo, a kitten diagnosed with hydrocephalus. Cameron Sadegh, pediatric neurosurgeon at UC Davis Children's Hospital, joined veterinary neurosurgeons from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine for a first-of-its-kind surgery. The 14-minute video takes viewers from diagnosis through surgery and recovery. It explores how the approach could help both animals and people in the future.
Accepting the award, Wu thanked the many people who made the story possible.
"We are honored to receive the Emmy in this category for a third time and grateful to be part of an organization that advances both human and animal health," Wu said. "We share this award with our leadership, medical and research teams and Viggo's family. They gave us the time and access to tell the story of the kitten who could change neurosurgery."
Wu closed with a lighter note that drew laughs from the audience.
"You guys, we won an Emmy for a cat video!"
A history of award-winning work
The award is the third Emmy for the team. In 2021, Nelson and Wu won for Separating Conjoined Twins, a documentary about Abigail and Micaela, twins born joined at the head at UC Davis Children's Hospital. In 2023, the pair earned a second Emmy for Searching for a Cure: The World's First Fetal Surgery Using Stem Cells for Spina Bifida, which chronicled the world's first in utero stem cell treatment for spina bifida and the first patient to participate in the groundbreaking CuRe Trial.
