Tell us about your background.
I was born and raised in Northern California and went to college in sunny San Diego. I graduated from veterinary school at UC Davis in 2015 and then completed a small animal rotating internship at VCA West LA, before doing a specialty internship in wildlife medicine, surgery, and conservation at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) in Sanibel, Fla. After these two internships, I completed a three-year zoological medicine and surgery residency through the University of Georgia, Zoo Atlanta, and Georgia Aquarium.
How did you become interested in zoological medicine?
I feel very fortunate because this has been a childhood dream career for me. Even as a young boy, I wanted to be a zoo/wildlife veterinarian. I remember joining my local wildlife rescue hospital in northern California while in grade school, just to see what the wildlife veterinarians did behind the scenes and to gain some early experience.
What are your special interests?
I am very passionate about wildlife conservation and the practice of high-level medicine in our zoological species. Some of my interests include endoscopy, soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, analgesia, and antimicrobial stewardship in zoological species.
Tell us about your favorite case.
One of my favorite cases was a roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) with a wingtip fracture, that I surgically repaired and then released. I managed this case while doing wildlife medicine and surgery in Florida. This was a fun patient to have in hospital because roseate spoonbills are not only beautiful, but also look like something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book! This particular bird had quite a personality, too, and loved the “kiddy pool” we provided him while he was rehabilitating in the hospital.
