Wild Minds Veterinary Symposium

Dr. Stephany Lewis

Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Stephany Lewis has been involved in wildlife rehabilitation since 2009. She received her DVM from Tufts University in 2015 and completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at Michigan State University. She then completed a 1-year internship in wildlife and conservation medicine at Tufts Wildlife Clinic in 2017. She has worked as the full-time staff veterinarian at California Wildlife Center and Ojai Raptor Center and is currently Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Wildlife Medical Clinic at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Lewis is a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. In 2023 she became board certified in Avian Practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.

Within wildlife and zoo med, Dr. Lewis’s special interests are wildlife rehabilitation, avian orthopedics, anticoagulant rodenticide toxicosis, and anxiolytics. When she’s not at work, chances are that Dr. Lewis  is at home or at the barn with her 4 dogs, 6 chickens, and a horse!

Dr. Judilee Marrow

From San Diego, California, Dr. Judilee Marrow had always been interested in zoological species and wanted to become a zoo veterinarian. While she was a vet student at the University of Illinois, she was involved in the Wildlife Medical Clinic, summer research on wildlife, and offsite zoo rotations. After graduation, she completed a rotating internship in Chicago, a zoo specialty internship at Kansas State University, and her residency training at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Upon becoming board certified, she worked as a solo vet at a small AZA zoo in Michigan before moving to the Houston Zoo in 2016.  In 2022, she was excited to come back to University of Illinois to focus on teaching and research, while continuing to practice zoological medicine.

In her free time, Dr. Marrow enjoys baking and gardening. A word of wisdom from Dr. Marrow is, “I am a strong believer that in life things happen for a reason.  Sometimes it is hard to see what that path is but stick with it! It is amazing on the other side.”

Dr. Debra Moore

Dr. Debra Moore is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine at Mississippi State University, where she plays a leading role in the Gulf Coast Aquatic Health Lab. She provides critical veterinary care for stranded sea turtles, leads necropsies, guides rehabilitation and release efforts, and more. Dr. Moore earned her DVM from Tuskegee University in 1987, after completing her BS in Animal & Poultry Sciences there in 1981. Before joining academia, she ran a mixed-animal veterinary practice and worked closely with marine species in her role as consulting veterinarian for the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS), where she managed health care for dolphins, sea turtles, sea lions, and more. In her academic role, Dr. Moore is also a deeply committed mentor, supervising veterinary students during their externships at IMMS and supporting their research through the Veterinary Medical Scholars Research Program. Her research includes examining environmental contaminants, such as microplastics and PFAS, in marine species, bridging animal health, conservation, and one-health principles.

Dr. Isabelle Paquet-Durand

Dr. Isabelle Paquet-Durand is a wildlife veterinarian, educator, and conservation leader with over three decades of experience working throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States. She is the Co-Founder and Director of the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic (BWRC), where she has led national efforts in wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation medicine since 2011. With a PhD in Parasitology, Epidemiology, and Public Health and a DVM from the School of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Germany, she specializes in wildlife diseases, zoonotic pathogens, parasitology, distance anesthesia, orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, and the rehabilitation of neotropical species.

A Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator and long-time educator, Dr. Paquet-Durand has spent 25 years training veterinary students, wildlife professionals, and community partners. She lectures for Purdue University’s Wildlife Medicine and Conservation Certificate Program and collaborates with institutions such as the University of Minnesota, Texas A&M, and Mercy College. Her work extends beyond clinical care to national capacity building, including service on Belize’s Jaguar and Avian Working Groups, the National One Health Committee, and the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Belize. She has also supported major conservation initiatives such as the Scarlet Macaw in-situ program and Hickatee turtle conservation.

Dr. Kelsey Ryan

Dr. Kelsey Ryan (Trumpp) is currently an associate veterinarian at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to joining the Animal Health team at Shedd in August of 2025, she completed a Zoological Medicine & Surgery Residency through the University of Georgia, Zoo Atlanta, and Georgia Aquarium. While at UGA Dr. Ryan also earned a Master of  Science degree in Comparative Biomedical Sciences. Prior to her residency Dr. Ryan completed Small Animal Rotating and Zoological Medicine Internships at the University of  Illinois. She graduated with her DVM from Purdue University in 2019.

Dr. Samantha Sander

Originally from Illinois, Dr. Sander completed her undergraduate and vet school degrees here at the University of Illinois. She completed her zoo med residency at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. and later served as an associate veterinarian at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. She later joined our school faculty in 2018. Since returning to her alma mater, Dr. Sander has held many positions and currently serves as a Zoo Med Clinical Professor and Head of the Zoo Ambulatory Service as well as a veterinary advisor for the African Penguin SSP and Penguin TAG, and USDA vet on record for the Scovill, Miller Park, and Peoria Zoos.

As you may be able to tell by her work, Dr. Sander’s favorite special interests within zoo med are penguins. Nonetheless, her favorite wild animal is the cheetah! If Vet Med ever held a talent show, Dr. Sander’s talent would consist of reciting song lyrics.

Dr. Karen Terio
Dr. Karen Terio earned her DVM from Tufts University, PhD from the University of California and completed a residency in anatomic pathology in a joint program between the University of California, Davis and San Diego Zoo. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2002. She is currently a full professor and Chief of Staff with the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zoological Pathology Program (ZPP) and Interim Assistant Director of the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. With colleagues at ZPP, she provides comprehensive pathology diagnostic services to zoological institutions as well as to local, national and international wildlife agencies and conservation programs. She is co-editor of the textbook “Pathology of Wildlife and Zoo Animals” published by Elsevier Academic Press the first edition of which received the 2019 PROSE award for a Textbook in the Biological and Life Sciences.