Dr. Stephany Lewis is the Director of the Wildlife Medical Clinic and a clinical assistant professor.
When did you begin working at the College of Veterinary Medicine?
I’ve been here since June of 2023! I moved here from Southern California for this position.
Describe your role at the college.
I am the Director of the Wildlife Medical Clinic and a clinical assistant professor. The Wildlife Medical Clinic treats injured, sick, and orphaned native Illinois wildlife, with the goal of releasing them back to the wild. We also have an education and outreach program with 12 non-releasable animals. The Wildlife Medical Clinic helps train over 120 students every year, so everything I do in my day-to-day clinical role also involves a lot of teaching, and I’m always surrounded by students! I also run the Wildlife Medicine elective and Advanced Avian Medicine Professional Development Course and teach lectures in several core and elective courses.
Additionally, I work on clinical wildlife research, primarily mentoring students in these projects, and help teach wildlife and veterinary professionals in a variety of wildlife medicine topics at conferences and through involvement with professional organizations, like the Association of Avian Veterinarians and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I came to Illinois because I LOVE teaching veterinary students. Vet students are so passionate and eager to learn that it keeps me on my toes and reminds me to never stop learning myself. I also have a pretty cool job; I get to work with amazing wildlife that most people never get to see up close! I am a huge bird nerd, and to be able to work with birds every day and help them fly free again is incredibly rewarding.
Another thing I love about my field is working with the wonderful people who choose to dedicate their time, money, or careers to these animals. The people who work in wildlife rehabilitation certainly are not in it for the money or glory. They do it because they have a passion for wildlife and a desire to help our native species, even the common or what some consider “nuisance” species, as they face the many pressures that humans have placed on them and their environments. Almost all of our patients are in our clinic because of human activity; they’ve been hit by cars, caught by domestic cats, shot, poisoned, entangled in our trash, etc., so I think we owe them the best possible medical care.
Complete this sentence: My most memorable day at work was…
… I’ve had a lot of them! Getting to see some of my students from Wildlife Medical Clinic graduate is always memorable! I’ve also had some memorable cases while I’m on-call. Since I’m also on call for the Zoo Ambulatory and Zoological Companion Animal services, I’ve come in on-call for a flamingo with a fractured pelvis, a sick penguin chick, and a bearded dragon that ingested a penny (which my intern and I successfully removed via endoscopy).
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I am a bird nerd but also a crazy horse lady! If I’m not at work, you can most likely find me at the barn spending time with my horse. I am a dressage rider (and also sometimes pretend to be an eventer), and on the weekends I’m frequently trailering my horse around for lessons or shows. I also love going to fitness classes at Hatha Yoga & Fitness in Champaign, and spending time with my partner at home in Urbana with our pets.
What is something your co-workers may be surprised to know about you?
Some people know this already, but I am a natural blonde!
What is one thing on your bucket list?
I would love to visit New Zealand, preferably to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center to work with their amazing native birds!
Do you have a favorite restaurant or place in the Champaign/Urbana area?
My partner and I love Caprae Restaurant at Prairie Fruits Farm! Their menu is always amazing and rotates frequently, they use a ton of local ingredients, and you can pet baby goats!
Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
The time I spend around horses and riding is probably what keeps me happiest! I also really love Trader Joe’s Spicy Chai Tea Latte…I make a TJ run every time I’m in a town with one!
Do you have any pets?
Yes, many! My partner, Sam, and I have four dogs (two beagles, one dachshund, and one chiweenie), six chickens (two silkies, a kikiriki, a silver duckwing old english game bantam, and two bantam cochins), and my horse, who is a 17-year-old Selle Francais gelding.
