Dr. Megan Colburn, a 2021 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and current PhD student under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Terio, professor in the college’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, received the Linda Munson Scholarship for Wildlife Pathology Research from the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP).
The scholarship provides a stipend of $150,000 over two years to support research in wildlife and conservation pathology.
“This funding allows me to pursue my passion for wildlife disease research while I strengthen my research and communication skills in preparation to joining the faculty of a veterinary school or zoological institution,” says Dr. Colburn. “My career goal is to combine a faculty position with an appointment in conservation research, teaching, and diagnostic pathology.”
As a PhD student in the Program of Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, Dr. Colburn is investigating the pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions of Emydomyces testavorans in turtles. This emerging fungal pathogen has been associated with a spectrum of shell and skin disease in over 60 species of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial turtles, including wild populations of threatened species, pet turtles, and highly endangered species of turtles within zoological collections. Her research will provide foundational knowledge toward identifying risk factors for the disease and devising novel therapeutic and diagnostic test targets.
About the Scholarship and Recipient
The Linda Munson Scholarship is awarded on the basis of: the applicant’s academic qualifications, career potential, and commitment to wildlife pathology research and conservation; the mentor’s success as a researcher and mentor; the resources and diversity of expertise at the research institution; and the quality of the hypothesis-driven research proposal, which must advance knowledge in wildlife pathology, preferably with a conservation impact.
The scholarship was created by the late Dr. Linda Munson, a veterinary pathologist who pioneered work in endangered species conservation. Dr. Munson mentored a generation of veterinary pathologists, including Dr. Terio. Dr. Munson’s research advanced the integration of animal reproductive health into conservation strategies and documented the impact of infectious diseases on diverse species.
Dr. Colburn earned her bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. After gaining her veterinary degree at the University of Illinois, she completed a one-year internship in anatomic pathology at Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine in Tuskegee, Alabama, and a three-year veterinary anatomic pathology residency at the Zoological Pathology Program at the University of Illinois. During her residency, she gained broad experience in comparative pathology with an emphasis on zoological and wildlife species. Dr. Colburn is a boarded diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
Featured photo by Fred Zwicky: Dr. Megan Colburn, third from right, with College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members (from left) Dr. Karen Terio, Dr. Matt Allender, and Dr. Laura Adamovicz.
