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2006 Dr. Catia Dejuste de Paula completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and a MS in Epidemology, from the University of Sao Paulo in 1997 and 2004, respectively. She has worked as an environmental consultant, in wildlife rehabilitation at major centers in Belem and Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the Brazilian Institute for Conservation Medicine in Sao Paulo, and for IBAMA, the Brazilian government's Natural Resource Agency as part of the United Nations Development Program. She also worked for the Center for Wildlife Conservation of the Sao Paulo Zoo, and is now completing a PhD, studying the conservation of endangered amphibians. 2005 Ms. Jennifer Burton had completed her second year in the DVM program at the University of Illinois before attending Envirovet 2005. Since Envirovet, she has been working to develop a novel master's project focused on analysis and development of integrative systems that will include additional education on the economics, politics, environmental issues, and other drivers of the agricultural industry. Her intermediate-term goal is to apply a systems approach to improve environmental impact and animal welfare issues related to large-scale production, with minimal effects on overall efficiency. Ms. Katherine Fogelberg will graduate with a DVM degree from Texas A&M in Spring 2008. Before Envirovet, Kathy was very interested in combining her Masters training and experience in education with a veterinary degree to help educate the general public about the importance of conservation and living in harmony with healthy ecosystems. Envirovet 2005 provided contacts with people with similar aims and needed expertise. In 2006, she established a long-term working relationship with Envirovet faculty member, Dr. Cobus Raath, who is a key player in the Peace Parks Foundation, to help with education components of Peace Parks health-related projects. She was also accepted to the Summer Research Program at Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine spent summer 2006 studying endangered ocelots in south Texas. She is applying for funding from the Morris Animal Foundation to radio-track an isolated subpopulation of the ocelots. In addition to data acquisition, she will analyze data on already- and newly-collected samples to model and analyze risk factors for diseases in this population. The analysis will focus future research on disease prevention and ocelot survival. In the future, Kathy may pursue a PhD in wildlife sciences, with an ultimate aim of teaching the importance of sound ecological management and research to help both humans and wildlife. Dr. Megan Jones completed her DVM at Atlantic Veterinary College (Prince Edward Island, Canada) shortly before attending Envirovet in 2005. She was recently offered a wildlife and zoo pathology residency at University of California, Davis in 2006. She will spend two years in the pathology department at Davis, and then a final year at the San Diego Zoo. She remains very interested in studying diseases of free-ranging wildlife. 2004 Dr. Ganzorig Bekh-Ochir, a young veterinarian in Mongolia, works with equine practitioners at the annual Naadam, the traditional Mongolian horse races. He is a member of a team of vets who tour rural Mongolia conducting veterinary seminars that train rural veterinarians and herd managers in order to improve the health of Mongolian herds and the environment that supports them. He is introducing a course for the rural seminar program that addresses overgrazing - a direct result of his work with South African wildlife managers during Envirovet 2004. Cristina (Nina) Hansen graduated with a B.S. in animal sciences from the University of Illinois in 2003, and will complete the DVM curriculum of the University in 2007. Throughout veterinary school, she has been a volunteer at the University of Illinois Wildlife medical Clinic where she gained experience in hands-on work with wildlife. She was a student in the Envirovet Summer Institute of 2004. Thereafter, in summer of 2005, she was awarded a grant by the University of Illinois Summer Program in Conservation,Wildlife Population Medicine, and Ecosystem Health, which enabled her to work with Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen, the State Wildlife Veterinarian for Alaska. Together and with other collaborators, Nina performed a health assessment and helped diagnose a widespread outbreak of meningoencephalitis due to Sarcocystis infection in a herd of caribou. The disease was likely responsible for a regional population decline in this species. Nina continued her work in Alaska during a fourth-year externship block. She also completed and externship at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI and at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. After receiving the DVM degree, she hopes to increase her clinical skills in private practice for a few years , and then to further her education by obtaining a PhD in wildlife biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Thereafter, she would like to continue to work with Alaskan wildlife. Dr. Maya Kummrow is a Swiss veterinarian who attended Envirovet in 2004 and earned her DVM the same year. In 2005 she spent two months working with the Dubai Falcon Hospital in the Middle East. She spent most of her time working with the private wildlife collection of the Sheiks and worked with translocations of oryx, hundreds of blood samples, taking care of open metacarpal fractures in Nyalas, horn injuries in black bucks, dermatophytosis in kudus, candida in stone curlews, and trichomoniasis in kory bustards. She found herself right in the middle of major operations working in poached and smuggled wildlife and it was an incredible opportunity for her to stand as an advocate for wildlife health. She recently completed an internship at Tufts University, and began her residency at Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, in 2006. Dr. Irene Naigaga is an instructor in the Department of Wildlife and Animal Resources Management (WARM), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Makere University - uganda. She is also a research associate at the Uganda National Fisheries Reserouces Research Institute (NAFIRRI), where she is leading a research project on mercury pollution of urban wetlands in the Lake Victoria basin of Uganda and Kenya, funded by SIDA-SAREC under the Lake currently an instructor in the Department of Wildlife and Animal Resources Management of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Fisheries Research Institute at Makerere University in Uganda. She is leading the Ugandan chapter of a joint research project on chemical pollution of urban wetlands in the Lake Victoria basin. It is a regional project involving Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. She also is focusing on gender and social analysis as a part of the project. She recently received funding with Dr. Olanike Adeyemo of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in collaboration with the Head of Atmospheric Sciences of the University of Illinois Dr. Donald Wuebbles to study the impacts of global warming and changes in atmospheric gases on African water bodies and fish communities. In addition, in 2005, Dr. Naigaga spent time in Israel studying aquaculture production and management at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, acquiring knowledge needed to support farmers who seek aquaculture advice from her department. She trained under Dr. Ra'annan, a 1992 Envirovet alum, while at Hebrew. Ms. Joanna Proszowska is originally from Poland and will graduate from the DVM program of the University of Illinois in 2006. She participated in Envirovet 2004 after two years of the veterinary curriculum. Joanna has a strong interest in wildlife, conservation, and exotic animal medicine. She has been involved in wildlife medicine since her undergraduate studies by volunteering at the Wildlife Medical Clinic, where she provided care to injured and orphaned wildlife. In the final year of her DVM program, Joanna also studied at The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota where she was able to work with endangered species such as Peregrine Falcons and Bald Eagles; and Louisiana State University where she worked with non-traditional companion animals, including birds, reptiles, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, as well as native wildlife and zoo animals. In addition, she visited Kansas State University to work in zoo, exotic and native wildlife medicine, and she will soon participate in a rotation at Brookfield Zoo. Joanna plans to complete a small animal medicine internship with some exotic experience and potentially to go on to a residency in conservation medicine. Dr. Eva Restis participated in Envirovet Summer Institute immediately after graduating from Kansas State Veterinary School in 2004. After Envirovet, she was employed as an associate veterinarian in a mixed animal practice while also working as a relief worker in emergency medicine. After 6 months of private practice, she went to South Africa for a three-month internship in wildlife and conservation medicine. Following her internship in South Africa, she accepted a year-long position as the veterinary intern at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. Currently, she is pursuing residencies in zoological medicine that also include opportunities in conservation medicine. She has recently been accepted into the graduate program at Virginia Tech with a focus on conservation medicine, the disease triad bt humans, wildlife and domestics. Eva commented that "With each step, I remind myself of the goals and lessons learned during Envirovet." 2003 Mr. Gonzalo Barquero was completing a MS in reproductive biology in the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences when he attended a lecture given by Envirovet Director, Dr. Val Beasley. At that time, Gonzalo and the company he works for and helps lead in Brazil, Pro-fauna, had organized an educational program for veterinary students from Iowa State University that involved visits to a number of sites of wildlife production. Pro-fauna uses these sites and activities to earn a living, helping sustain rural economies, indigenous cultures, natural habitats, and biodiversity. The same group from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State had initiated a similar educational program in Kenya the previous year, coordinated by Dr. George Owiti (an alumnus of Envirovet 2000). Believing that experience and contacts gained through Envirovet would be of value to Pro-fauna in its educational and conservation efforts, Gonzalo was encouraged to apply to the Envirovet Summer Institute 2003, with the intent that he would participate not only in the US portions, but also the Kenya program we had scheduled. However, work in Kenya became impossible that year due to precautionary statements from the US State Department. Therefore, Envirovet teamed with Gonzalo, Pro-fauna, and Tropical Nature to assemble a highly successful Envirovet Developing Country session for 2003 in Brazil. In late 2003, Gonzalo completed his MS focused on the reproductive biology of Brazilian wildlife. At present, he continues his work with Pro-fauna, and will soon enter veterinary school in Brazil. In addition, he has hosted a summer program for pre-veterinary and veterinary students the June and July of the last two years in Brazil in conjunction with University of Illinois faculty member, Dr. Daryl Kesler. Dr. Pablo Beldomenico, an Argentinean wildlife veterinarian completed his Masters in Preventive Veterinary Medicine at UC-Davis one year after taking part in Envirovet. He received a Dorothy Hodgkin award to enable his PhD studies on wildlife disease ecology at the University of Liverpool. Pablo joined a group lead by Professor Mike Begon that has been in the international vanguard of examining host-pathogen dynamics in natural wildlife populations. After completing his PhD, Pablo plans to return to Argentina to develop a research group that addresses the health of wildlife populations. Ms. Sara (Rybolt) Caruso, Envirovet 2003, will receive her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. The summer after completing Envirovet she received a fellowship from the Dodge Foundation's Frontiers for Veterinary Medicine to conduct a study on the use of Meloxicam in rehabilation birds at the Tristate Bird Rescue and Research Center in Delaware. Sara plans to spend a month externship at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin to learn more about infectious disease transmission in wildlife. Dr. Mindaugas Malakauskas (DVM, PhD) attended the Aquatic Session of Envirovet Summer Institute 2003. He is a member of the faculty of the Lithuanian Veterinary Academy, where he conducts research, teaches veterinary students, and provides lectures to hunters related to wildlife health. From 2002 to 2006, Mindaugas served as Coordinator of the Envirovet Baltic Network, which is patterned on the Envirovet Program in Wildlife and Ecosystem Health (US). The Envirovet Baltic Network provides high quality education to veterinarians, agricultural/animal scientists and related professionals on how to diagnose and solve environmental problems that affect humans and animals. Envirovet Baltic links environmental problem solving to current social and economic trends in the Baltic Sea Region. Mindaugas gained insight and skills from the Summer Institute’s lectures, laboratories, and field experiences. In addition, he established contacts with American wildlife health scientists, who later participated with European scientists in Envirovet Baltic programs that he organized and hosted in Lithuania. Also, in 2005, Mindaugas hosted a workshop that set the stage for a major new collaboration between Envirovet Baltic and the Baltic University Programme in the area of sustainable agriculture and ecosystem health. Dr. Kathrine Ryeng Participated in the Envirovet Summer Institute 20303, after having completed a PhD in the field of chemical immobilization of wildlife, with emphasis on reindeer, at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH) in 1999. She worked as an associate professor at the NVH, Artic Veterinary Medicine Group in the town of Tomoso, northern Norway from 20000 through 2006. From 2000 to 2003 she was Head of the Department of Arctic Veterinary Medicine and participated in Envirovet to broaden her horizons and learn more about ecosystem health and the integration of veterinary medicine into ecosystem health and wildlife research. TO quote Dr. Ryeng, "I was not disappointed! Today, the Envirovet idea of joining interdisciplinary forces for ecosystem problem solving is even more important. Besides being a great course of high quality, the Envirovet is also about building networks. After Envirovet, you know where the different expertise is located, and the Envirovet faculty staff have been very helpful in giving me advice who to contact in different situations." Dr. Ryeng's latest activity at the NVH was to develop and search funding for an Envirovet Artic educational program in close cooperation with colleagues in Norway, Russia, Canada and other professionals associated with Envirovet. In 2007, Dr. Ryeng undertook a new position in animal welfare management and legislation at the head office of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in Oslo, a governmental body. Dr. Nina Schoch is working for the The Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program, which conducts research to determine the status and trends in the Adirondack breeding loon population, and the effect of mercury contamination on this population's reproductive success. This work is coordinated with similar research throughout northeastern North America to determine the effect of environmental mercury contamination on the breeding loon population throughout the region. 2002 Dr. Guha Dharmarajan was employed by the Centre for Ecological
Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore until he left to
participate in Envirovet 2002. His work for the Centre focused on elephant
ecology with emphasis on man-elephant conflict mitigation strategies. Guha
received the BVSc (equivalent to DVM) degree in 1997 from Tamil Nadu Veterinary
and Animal Sciences University and the MVSc in Wildlife Science in 2000 from
the same institution. In the fall of 2002, Guha entered a Ph.D. program in the
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University. His PhD
research will broaden knowledge on the raccoon roundworm - Baylisascaris
procyonis, a species known for it's ability to cause nervous system damage in
human beings exposed to raccoon feces. Such exposure has become an incresing problem,
given the unchecked growth of numbers of this species in the absence of larger
predators in urban/suburban ecosystems of much of the US. Ms. Joan Embery has served as a spokesperson on wildlife issues for the Zoological Society of San Diego since 1968. She owns and operates a wildlife facility and horse ranch, is a Trustee of the Morris Animal Foundation, a Professional Fellow of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, a member of the Advisory Board of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, and Founder and Life Member of the American Association of Zoo Keepers. Her ongoing major career goal is to educate the public about conservation issues. She participated in the Envirovet Summer Institute to broaden her understanding of health as it relates to ecology and ecological restoration issues. Dr. Robert Fyumagwa currently works as a Wildlife Research Officer for the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute in Arusha, Tanzania. He received the BVM (equivalent to DVM) degree from Sokoine University in Tanzania in 1990, and the MVM (equivalent to MS) degree in parasitology from the same institution in 2000. He was in a mixed animal veterinary practice until 1998, when he began graduate school. Robert's goal is to continue focusing his work on wildlife diseases and environmental toxicology. Dr. Kristin Gundersen graduated as a DVM from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University in 2005. She is a member of the International Veterinary Student Association, the American Society for Veterinary Animal Behavior, and the Students for Veterinary Multicultural Issues, as well as Co-president of the WSU American Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians. She has been involved in three animal behavior research studies including a time budget study on a herd of giraffes supported by Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Her commitment to a future career focused on local peoples, wildlife and habitat preservation in developing countries has been galvanized by her extensive trips into Ecuadorian rainforests, her sigthing rare pink dolphins, and her witnessing massive rainforest destruction and wild-caught psittacines and monkeys. Ms. Diane Hamilton completed a BA in Biology in 2001 from Earlham College and is now in the DVM program of Michigan State University. She is a member of the MSU Student Chapter of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, and is involved in a weekly exotic species necropsy/pathology program. Diane is also the Coordinator of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Vice President of the MSU CVM Zoo & Wildlife Club, and Secretary of the MSU CVM International Club. Her career goals include helping sustain the most natural and healthy coexistence possible between human and wild animal populations around the globe. Dr. April Johnson earned a BS in Biology at Cedarville College in 1998 and a DVM at the University of Illinois in May, 2002. During veterinary school, she was a laboratory assistant in parasitology research. April also completed a course in South Africa emphasizing chemical capture techniques and conservation medicine. Additionally, she volunteered in the Remote Area Medical group in Guatemala, and completed an externship at the Brookfield Zoo in Conservation Genetics, using molecular techniques to identify herpesviruses in spider monkeys. In summers of 2000 and 2001, April surveyed the disease status of captive desert tortoises in Barstow, CA. Then, in fall 2002, April began a PhD program at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Elliott Jacobson, an Envirovet faculty member, to investigate iridovirus infections of turtles and tortoises, emerging pathogens that she has found to be lethal to wild box turtles and gopher tortoises as well as captive exotic tortoises. She is receiving funding from the Disney Conservation Fund and the Morris Animal Foundation to support her research. In addition to her PhD program, April is pursuing a Masters of Public Health degree in epidemiology at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions. She will be finishing both degrees in spring 2006 and has accepted a two-year fellowship as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where she will be learning applied epidemiology by investigating disease outbreaks. She will start in July 2006 as a member of the commissioned corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. Dr. Mina Khoii completed a BA in Biology from Earlham College in 1995, and was awarded the DVM degree from Tufts University in 2004. She has worked in the Tufts Clinical Pathology Laboratory, provided care for hospitalized wildlife in the Tufts Wildlife Clinic, served as a Keeper of African mammals at the Louisville (Kentucky) Zoological Garden, and worked as a Research Assistant, of the Dayton (Ohio) Museum of Natural History. She is a member of the Tufts Veterinarians for Global Solutions, and the Tufts Wildlife, Aquatics, Zoo, and Exotics Student Organization. She has served as a volunteer in raptor rehabilitation, has worked at Mystic Aquarium on the Rescue and Rehabilitation Team and on the Tufts Asian Turtle Rescue Team, and has conducted research on the prevalence of white spot virus and heavy metal concentrations in black tiger prawns of Thailand. After Envirovet, Mina undertook research on the conservation genetics of zebras in Kenya. In March 2004 Mina attended the Dodge Foundation Frontiers for Veterinary Medicine conference. Her long-term goal is to be employed by an international conservation organization or agency, promoting ecosystem health and wildlife conservation, informing the public, influencing international conservation policy, conducting research, and teaching. Dr. David Langoi attended the Developing Country unit of Envirovet 2002, after attending the Developed Country unit in 2001. David completed the requirements for a BVM (equivalent to DVM) at the University of Nairobi in 1997, and then took a position as Wildlife Student Veterinarian for the Kenya Wildlife Service in 1998 and 1999. From 1999 onward, David has served as Clinical Veterinarian for Primate Health and Husbandry at the National Museums of Kenya, Institute of Primate Research. Also, he worked as a Research Scholar in genetics at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2001 and 2002. A major focus of David's program is on the preservation of genetic diversity in wildlife populations in East Africa. He is studying molecular methods for endangered species conservation, and will soon join the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Dr. Camilla Lieske completed an AB in Biology from Bryn Mawr College in 1991, and a DVM and Masters in Veterinary Preventive Medicine (MPVM) from the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of California, Davis in 1998 and 1999, respectively. While in the MPVM program, she served as a research assistant investigating the effects of petroleum on seabirds, assisted in rehabilitation efforts, and was the Large Animal Anesthesia Assistant for emergency and after-hours surgeries. Camilla has worked as Educational Interpreter for Marine World Africa USA in Vallejo, California, and as Nature Director for the YMCA Camp of Maine. She completed externships in the Pathology Department of the San Diego Zoological Society, and the Veterinary Department of the San Diego Wild Animal Park, in Escondido, California, and is a member of the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians. In 1999, Camilla began a Residency and PhD program in Toxicology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Camilla was certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology in 2005 and serves on the Examining Committee of that organization. She is currently finishing the model development and manuscript writing phases of her PhD research which focuses on habitat factors that influence amphibian health. In 2006, Camilla accepted a job working with Kimberlee Beckmen, DVM, PhD, who is the Wildlife Veterinarian for the State of Alaska. Dr. Beckmen was previously employed with the wildlife and ecological toxicology program at the University of Illinois as well as the Envirovet program. Dr. Titus Mlengeya obtained his BVM degree from Sokoine University in 1988 and MSc in Veterinary Epidemiology from the University of Reading, UK, in 1994. Titus served as a Wildlife Research Scientist at Serengeti Wildlife Research Institute from 1987 to 1989. In 1989 and 1990, he was District Livestock Development Officer for the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock Development. From 1990 to 1993, he established and managed a veterinary clinic in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. From 1994 to 1996, he served as Wildlife Epidemiologist for the Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock Development based in Dar es Salaam. Since 1996, he has worked at Serengeti and other Tanzanian National Parks as a Wildlife Veterinarian. He is a member of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania, the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, and the Wildlife Disease Association. In 2004, Titus completed a one-year graduate course in wildlife management techniques and ecology from the Wildlife College in Tanzania. His goals include to continue to monitor and mitigate diseases, conduct necessary research, and maintain healthy wildlife populations in a healthy ecosystem. He also will provide support for community-based livestock projects to fight poverty in local communities and involve local people in conservation programs. Dr. Sophie Molia obtained the DVM degree in 1998 and a specialization degree in tropical animal health (DESV) from Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse, France, in 2001. She has worked in shrimp husbandry and production, clinical medicine and surgery, distributions and behaviors of dolphins in Zanzibar, and field and laboratory studies on water buffalo as vectors of foot and mouth disease in Sri Lanka. In 2000 and 2001, she studied lyssavirus infections in Cambodian bat populations, sponsored by the Pasteur Institute of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In 2002, Sophie monitored hormones at the Behavioral Endocrinology Laboratory of Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, and worked for Lincoln Park Zoo with their medical database assessing disease risk factors . In 2003, Sophie completed a Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, studying Bartonella infections of free-ranging African lions and cheetahs in Africa. She then worked for three years as veterinary epidemiologist for the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) the Caribbean, developing research and control projects for various animal diseases. She is now conducting research on highly pathogenic avian influenza in various African countries. She is a member of the Conservation of Animal Species and Populations Society, the Wildlife Disease Association, the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians. She is especially interested in the interactions among humans, domestic animals and wildlife in developing countries. Dr. Jan Myburgh, a South African veterinarian, obtained a BVSc (DVM equivalent) in 1984 from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria, South Africa; and a BVSc Honors in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the same institution in 1988. Jan is employed by the Department of Food Animal Medicine, Theriogenology and Surgery, of the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. In 2002, he completed a MMedVetMed (MMVM) degree in Bovine Medicine from the Medical University of South Africa. Jan is a member of the South African Wildlife Management Association, the Society for Theriogenology, USA, the South African Veterinary Association: Wildlife Group, the Entomological Association of Southern Africa, the Grassland Society of Southern Africa, the Herpetological Society of Africa, the Endocrine Disruptor Study Group, Pretoria, the Aquatox Forum, South Africa, and the International Society for Biospeleology. He is also working to complete a PhD in environmental toxicology at the University of Pretoria. Jan hopes to stimulate veterinary environmental research in Africa that is internationally competitive and locally relevant. He recently initiated discussions on a Southeast African Regional Envirovet Program. Dr. Vimal Selvaraj obtained a BVSc (equivalent to DVM) degree from Madras Veterinary College in 2000 and is completed a MS in Veterinary Biosciences at the University of Illinois in 2003. His thesis work focuses on reproductive development and effects of endocrine-disrupting and immunosuppressive phytoestrogens. Before entering the University of Illinois, Vimal studied colonial water birds, spotted deer, pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), horses, and Indian species of crocodiles, as well as biological indicators of water quality. He is a member of the Zoo Outreach Organization, India, and the Endocrine Society, USA. Recognizing the expanding human population, Vimal has made a strong commitment to become a reproductive biologist and pathologist who works to augment captive breeding of endangered species as a part of a coordinated conservation strategies. Dr. Ginger Takle obtained a BS in biology from Bowling Green State University in Kentucky in 2000, and completed her veterinary training at the University of Tennessee. She has worked as a veterinary technician in the Avian/Exotic Ward of the University of Tennessee, and as the Head Veterinary Technician for Avian/Exotic/Wildlife species for All Creatures Animal Hospital in Maryville, Tennessee. Also, she has been a volunteer administering medications and other therapies and preparing birds for release at the Foothills Raptor Center in Maryville, Tennessee. She served as Zoological Keeper Intern and maintained Primate and Elephant grounds, for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, in Ohio in 1998. In addition, Ginger was a Large Animal Caretaker for the College of Veterinary Medicine of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa in 1999. Ginger was President of the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2005, and a Member of Avian, Exotic, and Wildlife Club at the College. Her career goal is to become a wildlife or zoo veterinarian. She is now completing an internship at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University. Dr. Elizabeth Van Wormer received a DVM from Michigan State University in 2005. She recently completed an externship with the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center and California Department of Fish and Game. Liz conducted field research with a team studying reproduction and infectious disease exposures and transmission in endangered island foxes on the Channel Islands of southern California. Recently, she accepted an offer to enter the wildlife epidemiology PhD program at UC Davis, where she will begin her formal studies in Fall 2005. Dr. Genevieve Vega obtained a BS in conservation biology from Columbia obtained a BS in conservation biolog from Columbia University and completed her DVM at Tufts in 2004. She has worked on threatened coastal vegetation research and as a reptile and amphibian keeper; with breeding programs for endangered frogs in New Jersey; has provided care to over 30 turtle and tortoise species in the US, Indo-China, and throughout the world; has used biopsy darts to obtain samples for genetic analysis from humpback whales off the coast of Madagascar; and has helped create an ecotourism project for that island nation. After Envirovet 2002, she stayed on in Kenya and assisted in research of mass die-offs of flamingos. To reduce educational debt and facilitate a more rapid focus on wildlife and ecosystems, Genevieve accepted a partial scholarship for veterinary school from the US Army. She will soon become the veterinarian at Camp Lejeune on the North Carolina coast, and plans to care for the military dogs and horses there, as well as to become involved with a nearby sea turtle sanctuary and national park. Dr. Margaret Vinson obtained a BS in Wildlife Biology in 1990 from the University of California-Davis and a MS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana in 1998. She completed the DVM program of Colorado State University in 2003. Meg has worked as a member of the back-country trail crew of the US Forest Service in North Fork, California; in rehabilitation of wounded raptors for the UC-Davis Raptor Center; as a wilderness ranger, crew supervisor, and wildlife biologist for the US Forest Service at Shaver Lake, California. In addition, she has been a teacher's assistant at the University of Montana at Missoula, and a veterinary technician for an equine practice. She is a member of the Zoological and Wildlife Medicine Society, Student Chapter, and the foal and large animal emergency team at Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Her long-term goals include working toward a healthy and sustainable coexistence of wildlife, humans, and the environment. Dr. Elizabeth Wambwa obtained the BVM degree (equivalent to DVM) from the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 1994, and the MSc in Wild Animal Health from the University of London in 1995. Elizabeth is currently Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service Veterinary Unit centered in Nairobi. She is a member of the Africa Section of the Wildlife Disease Association, the East African Wildlife Society, and the World Association of Wildlife Veterinarians. Her goal is to participate actively in wildlife conservation efforts in Kenya, and to make meaningful contributions in her area of expertise. Dr. Kristin Kemper obtained a BS in Animal Ecology from Western Washington University and received a DVM degree from Washington State University in 2004. She has assisted in developing a captive breeding program for endangered pygmy rabbits for the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Service; helped breed, raise, and release endangered Hawaiian birds for the San Diego Zoological Park and other groups at Volcano, Hawaii; released and tracked captive bred endangered Hawaiian thrushes for the Peregrine Fund at Alakai Swamp, Hawaii; served as assistant zookeeper for mammals and birds, and tour docent at the Cougar Mountain Zoological Park, in Issaquah, Washington; worked as a wildlife technician, monitoring endangered species in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Douglas, Wyoming; and was a veterinary assistant in private practice. She is a member of the International Veterinary Student Association, and the Student American Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians. Long term career goals include a career focus on recovery of endangered species, restoring self-sustaining populations by pro-active habitat conservation, and developing passionate community conservation programs. Dr. Jennifer York completed a BS in Environmental Resource Management at Pennsylvania State University in 1995 and completed the DVM program at Tufts University in 2004. Jennifer has worked for HawkWatch International, at Salt Lake City; as a plant ecologist/field technician supervisor conducting vegetation surveys for the US Army Land Condition Trend Analysis Program at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts; and as an environmental educator at Shaver's Creek Environmental Education Center, in University Park, Pennsylvania. She has also worked as a veterinary technician in private practice as well as a wildlife rehabilitation assistant. She has served as a volunteer in the Tufts Wildlife Clinic, and co-founded the Necropsy Team for the clinic. Jennifer was an environmental education volunteer for the Peace Corps at the Amur Zoo in Blagoveshchensk, Russia in 1997 and 1998. In addition, she is a member of the American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, and the Mid-Atlantic States Association of Avian Veterinarians. She hopes to become board-certified in avian medicine and will focus on a career in avian conservation medicine. 2001 Dr. Matt Allender completed the requirements for the DVM degree at the University of Illinois in 2004. Matt served as President of the University of Illinois Student Chapter of American Veterinary Medical Association, and hosted the national SCAVMA meeting there. He has been a leader in a number of student wildlife/exotic organizations. While in veterinary school, he began a concurrent program of course work and research, and in 2005, he completed a Master of Sciences degree in Veterinary Biosciences. His research focused on deducing the health status including fertility and fecundity parameters and exposures to viral disease organisms in different subpopulations of the endangered eastern massasauga rattlesnake of Illinois. His study indicated no response to West Nile virus, but suggested a widespread exposure to an ophidian paramyxyovirus. Further studies will be needed to confirm these findings. He also catalyzed a collaborative investigation of a ranavirus in the leukocytes of a turtle that was sick and ultimately died in Tennessee. This aspect of his study suggests not only a new and fast diagnostic indicator but also the possibility of transmission via arthropod vectors. Matt obtained research funds from a range of sources for his thesis work, including the Morris Animal Foundation. At present, he has one paper in press and another has been tentatively accepted pending revision. Dr. Kathleen Biddle Muravnick participated in Envirovet 2001 while attending veterinary school at the University of Illinois. After graduating from veterinary school, she began an anatomic pathology residency at the University of Pennsylvania. After finishing her residency, she hopes to complete a PhD in environmental pathology. Her long-term career goal is to work in the field of conservation medicine to further the health of the environment, animals and humans. Dr. David Cockerill is a veterinarian in the UK who went there from South Africa after earning his B.V.Sc. (equivalent to DVM) in 1993 from the University of Pretoria. After participating in Envirovet 2001, Dave began developing an aquatic environmental consulting arm for his private veterinary practice. He also began work on his MSc in Ecotoxicology at the University of Ulster in March 2002. Dr. Margaret Driciru earned her B.V.M. (equivalent to DVM) in 1996 and Post-graduate Diploma in Wildlife Health and Management in 1999, both from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. From 1997 until the present, she has been heavily involved in research work to support lion conservation, including conducting a population viability assessment of large predators in Murchison Falls National Park Uganda. This has included being the Principal Researcher for the Lion II Project of the Department of Wildlife and Animals Resources Management of the Makerere Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. From 2002 to 2004, she completed a MSc in Wildlife Health and Management at Makerere University. For much of 2005, she was on special assignment with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, relocating elands in Kidepo Valley National Park. She very recently was appointed Warden with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, and is currently awaiting her posting instructions. Dr. Károly Erdélyi earned his DVM in 1996, at the University of Veterinary Sciences, Budapest, and his M.Sc. in Wildlife Biology and Management in 1999, at Gödöllo Agricultural University. Károly is currently a PhD student and resident in diagnostic wildlife pathology. Dr. Cindy Johnson received a DVM from Colorado State University in 1992, and a M.S. in Environmental Science & Engineering from Colorado School of Mines in 1999, before participating in Envirovet 2001. Cindy is in an internship with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Dr. Michael Kagiko served as the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nairobi, an institution that is supporting both Envirovet and other activities in wildlife and ecosystem health with a focus on conservation medicine. Michael earned his BVM in 1975, his M.Sc in 1977, and his PhD in 1986, all at the University of Nairobi. Dr. Sittidet Mahasavangkul earned her DVM in 1992 from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He is the Head of the Veterinary Section of the Northern Timber Department, Forest Industry Organization; a Specialist Lecturer at Chiangmai University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and the Coordinator of Royal Initiated Thai Elephant Conservation Project of H.M. Queen Sirikit, an elephant reintroduction project. Dr. Julio Mercado obtained a MVZ (equivalent to DVM) in 1994 from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, and a MPVM in 2000 from the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, before participating in Envirovet Summer Institute 2001. He has served as a zoo veterinarian for the Mexicali Zoo, 1997-1998, and has been teaching wildlife management techniques, zootechnique ecology, and medicine for wild animals in captivity, at the Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias Veterinarias (IICV), in Baja California, since 1996. Currently, he is in charge of the field capture and processing of samples for a project on rabies in bats, for which he is also co-author. Julio was recently named field veterinarian of the California condor reintroduction program in Baja California, Mexico. Dr. Motoko Mukai had just completed her Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree, from Azabu University in Japan, when she joined Envirovet 2001. Her goal is to become a productive veterinary scientist, emphasizing environmental and ecological toxicology, and to expand expertise in wildlife medicine and toxicology in Japan. Motoko began a PhD program in environmental toxicology at the University of Illinois in 2001. She is currently working with Drs. Paul Cooke and Shelly Tischkau, investigating whether dioxins interfere with critically important "clock genes" that are involved in synchronizing body functions with normal day/night schedules. Dr. Lisa Naples was a second-year veterinary student at Tufts University when she joined Envirovet 2001. She earned an Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic Certification in 1997, and before veterinary school had been an intensive care unit nurse. Lisa has participated in marine mammal rescue, care, and release, with the New England Aquarium, and gorilla research at the Franklin Park Zoo. Lisa undertook research on the zoonotic risks of Cryptosporidia infection in Kenya in 2002. Her career goal is to work in conservation medicine in international settings, focusing on endangered species. Dr. Naples has completed two internships and is now a resident in zoological medicine at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. Dr. William Ogara earned his DVM in 1981 and PhD in 1985, both from Moscow Academy of Veterinary Science. He is a member of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Nairobi. He teaches environmental hygiene, aquatic animal health, and food safety. William is also an accomplished specialist in both Public Health and Environmental Law. Dr. Susanne Sokolow was a third-year veterinary student at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis when she was joined Envirovet 2001. Her ultimate goal is to become an accomplished disease ecologist and wildlife veterinarian. She is concurrently enrolled in a PhD program in Ecology. Her plan is become a professor at a research university. Dr. Piyarat Subhachalat earned her DVM in 1994 from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and her PhD in animal production and parasitology in 1999, from the University of Agriculture and Technology of Tokyo, Japan. She is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Piyarat is currently involved in aquatic and terrestrial toxicology research, analytical assays to quantify contaminants, diagnostic toxicology, and assessment and management of ecological risks. 2000 Dr. Anne Acton completed a residency in zoological medicine in the Lowery Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. She is now in the PhD program in Wildlife Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine of North Carolina State University. Ms. Harriet Auty was a veterinary student at the University of Liverpool when she participated in Envirovet Summer Institute 2000. Since then Harriet became President of the Liverpool University Veterinary Zoological Society (LUVZS). She worked with others to increase veterinary student expertise in the fields of primate behavior, and aquarium husbandry and medicine. She also contributed to the organization and hosting of the first LUVZS symposium on veterinary conservation medicine, which involved over 80 participants and helped promote a new BSc in Veterinary Conservation Medicine. The program discussed a wide array of topics including orangutan conservation, the role of veterinarians in cetacean strandings, and tortoise conservation medicine. Harriet briefly joined the Envirovet 2002 group while in Kenya conducting research. Dr. Debby Burnett worked as a physical therapist before entering veterinary school at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A & M University. In September, 2000, she attended the AAZV-IAAAM Conference in New Orleans, where she participated in the Marine Mammals Workshop. She subsequently received funding for a research project investigating heavy metal contaminants in Alaskan Arctic ringed and bearded seals and completed both field and laboratory research for the study. Debby has also undertaken a preceptorship at White Oak Conservation Center in Florida, completing a project on gerenuk anesthesia. Dr. Jay King attended Envirovet aquatic in 1998 and Envirovet terrestrial in 2000 while working in a small animal/exotic practice. He completed a MS in conservation and tropical ecology and is continuing related work in a PhD. He has worked with the University of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation with a river otter radio-tracking project and has consulted with graduate students on projects involving opossums, songbirds, and capybaras. He has published several papers regarding: Shigella in primates; behavioral problems in dogs; and administration of pharmaceuticals to elephants. For the past 5 years, Jay has worked with the very large, highly endangered frog Leptodactylus fallax, commonly known as the mountain chicken frog, on the island of Dominica. He has been involved with censuses, DNA analyses, captive breeding, public education, and a clean stream program. He is also exploring the utility of translocation and radio tracking of the frog. Jay diagnosed chytrid infections in the population in 2003, the first report of the fungus in the Caribbean. He has published findings of his research, including the identification of anti-microbial peptides from the skin of frogs, and of a peptide that induces aggression in male frogs. He supports this work through after-hours house calls. Dr. Ruth Lambert was a second year veterinary student at Tufts University when she participated in Envirovet 2000. Ruth had assisted in research in estrus, dominance, and social behavior of captive African elephants, molecular genetics, and worked as a veterinary assistant at the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI, as well as in the Tufts Wildlife Clinic. After Envirovet 2000, Ruth worked with the Kenya Wildlife Service in the translocation of fifty-six elephants from a Laikipia ranch to Meru National Park. She then went to Shimba Hills to work with KWS scientists, developing knowledge regarding the region's human-elephant-ecosystem conflict. She also undertook studies exploring the possibility of using immunocontraception to stabilize the park's population of elephants. Dr. Joseph Okori was an Assistant Professor of Wildlife Health at the Wild Animal Resource management Unit of the Faculty of Veterinary medicine at Makere University in Kampala, Uganda when he participated in Envirovet 2000. Shortly after completing the Envirovet 2000 course, Dr. Okori was made the Wildlife Veterinary Coordinator in charge of Veterinary Unit of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. He was promoted in the Office of the Executive Director to become the Uganda Wildlife Authority's Partnership Coordinator where he oversaw all collaborative linkages and partnership relations for the organization, including wildlife disease and surveillance programs. In 2004, he moved to Botswana and currently is Principal Veterinary Officer and Head of the Veterinary Unit of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Botswana in charge of wildlife health for the Republic of Botswana. Dr. Thomas Manyibe was a wildlife veterinarian for the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). He traveled a great deal in that job, which involved health monitoring as well as treatment of a wide range of health problems in free-ranging and captive wildlife in Kenyan national parks and preserves. Tom and Dr. Elizabeth Wambwa (Envirovet 2002) have worked together in translocating elephants to Meru National Park. Currently, Tom is pursuing a MS in wildlife pathology at the University of Nairobi. He will continue to work for KWS. Dr. Mbaabu Mathiu, DVM, PhD, is Head of the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Nairobi. Dr. Mathiu is an expert in avian reproduction. He is intent on conservation efforts and has become involved in ecological restoration efforts for Meru National Park in Kenya. In addition, Dr. Mathiu is pursuing research into ethnopharmacology, which will contribute to the preservation of biodiverse habitats. Dr. Fernando Nassar-Montoya is a Colombian veterinarian who has worked for many years to offset the negative impacts of the illegal trade in wildlife in tropical South America. He is an expert in avian and primate health. Since Envirovet, Fernando has organized a workshop for Latin American veterinarians to build capacity in dealing with the problems of wildlife. Dr. George Owiti DVM, PhD, has served as Head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Nairobi. Dr. Owiti is facilitating flamingo studies led by Dr. Gideon Motelin (Envirovet 1998) and is helping to organize Envirovet programs in East Africa. As the Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service Training Institute, Dr. Owiti is helping to develop a new initiative in aquatic ecotoxicology for Kenya. Dr. Kara Sorensen was a predoctoral candidate at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana when she participated in Envirovet 2000. She completed her PhD, with an emphasis in Environmental Toxicology, in 2003 within the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. During her graduate program, Kara received two pre-doctoral fellowships and prepared six manuscripts for publication. Her research focused on the effect of iron oxidation state in clay minerals on the toxicity of pesticides to mammalian cells. In 2005, Kara's PhD research won first place in the dissertation awards competition in Natural Sciences and Engineering, from the Universities Council on Water Resources. Currently, Dr. Sorensen is an National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow working at the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP) in San Diego, California. Her research with the NMMP program includes assessing dietary intake for dolphins and sea lions, assessing the relationship of serum trace elements and disease, and assisting the program in enhancing their water quality surveillance program. Dr. Christina Wippich-Whiteman is a Brazilian veterinarian who has worked for The Wildlife Trust, and for the Tufts University, Center for Conservation Medicine. Projects have involved marine mammals in Alaska, and various species in zoos as well as the wilds of South America. She is working with Dr. Beasley and others to identify funding to support a Latin American veterinary ecosystem health education program. Dr. Karen Shapiro, a native of Israel, was entering her third-year as a veterinary student at the University of California-Davis when she took the Envirovet course in 2000. Karen has worked on ecological monitoring with benthic organisms and fishes in streams of the US west coast. Because her goals include pursuing a PhD and conducting field research in aquatic ecological toxicology, she also participated in the Envirovet Aquatic 2001. 1998 Dr. Cory Brayton received a DVM from Cornell University and was
subsequently board certified in Laboratory Animal Medicine. She is also a
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. Immediately after
Envirovet 1998, Dr. Brayton assumed a new job as Director of Comparative
Pathology at Baylor University, College of Medicine. Dr. Bethany Grohs, a VMD from the University of Pennsylvania, attended Envirovet 1998. Shortly thereafter, she became employed with the U.S. EPA Superfund Emergency Group, under Envirovet faculty member Dr. David Charters. After a time, a new job title of Veterinary Medical Officer was chosen. One of Bethany's many roles has been to consult on cleanup of the contamination of the U.S. Senate Office Building following contamination with anthrax spores. She has served as an Envirovet faculty member in 2000 and 2001. When Envirovet faculty member Dr. Poppenga recently moved from the University of Pennsylvania to UC-Davis, Dr. Grohs took over the teaching of Dr. Poppenga's Ecotoxicology course at the University of Pennsyvalnia while continuing to work full time at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Dr. Craig Miller previously served as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, conducting a detailed survey of captive breeding techniques in zoos around the world. He completed his DVM program at the University of Illinois, and is in private practice. During veterinary school, Craig studied endocrine disruption in the cricket frog. Dr. Gideon Motelin is a veterinarian and an Associate Professor of Pathology at Egerton University in Kenya. He completed a MS in toxicologic pathology at the University of Illinois, and is Principal Investigator on an ongoing research project focused on mass die-offs in lesser flamingos, on which Dr. Ramesh Thampy (Envirovet 1994) and Dr. Val Beasley also have worked. Gideon is also working to increase the emphasis on wildlife and environmental issues at Egerton and in Kenya more broadly. Dr. Cheryl Rosa is a graduate of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Since Envirovet 1998, Cheryl has undertaken a PhD program in Wildlife Biology, with a focus on marine mammal health and toxicology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Among her mentors was Dr. Todd O'Hara (Envirovet 1992) and Dr. John Blake. She has also completed a residency in wildlife medicine at UAF. In April 2006, she started a position as the wildlife veterinarian for the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management in Alaska. She is currently pursuing certification in wildlife medicine, and thus will take the examination offered by the examining board of the American College of Zoo Medicine in the near future. Dr. René Varela was a veterinary student when he participated in Envirovet 1998. He completed a MS degree in biology from the Florida Atlantic University, studying the immune system of green sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis, prior to receiving his veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. While at Penn, he also attended Aquavet 1 and 2 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and Aquamed. Since June of 2001, René has been serving as the post-doctoral veterinary fellow in Marine Mammal Research and Conservation at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. This is a combined clinical, pathology, and research appointment covering all aspects of marine mammal health, particularly that of cetaceans and manatees. In the fall of 2002, he began a PhD program studying the immune system of manatees in health and disease. René's long term interests lie in the study of immune systems of aquatic animals and interactions with environmental stressors. In 2002-2004, René helped facilitate the Aquatic Unit of Envirovet which was held at Harbor Branch. Dr. David Villar is a veterinarian from Spain. He received a MS in toxicology from the University of Illinois. Immediately after Envirovet 1998, David successfully defended his PhD thesis at the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He has served as toxicologist in a faculty position at the University of Valencia (Spain), where he interacted with other veterinarians involved in his nation's ecosystem health. He recently completed a residency in toxicology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University and in 2004 was certified as a Diplomate or the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology. 1994 Dr. Karyn Bischoff completed a DVM at the University of Illinois in 1995 and an MS in toxicology at Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She passed the certification examination of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology and went on to study Pathology at the University of Florida in Gainesville. She currently works as the Clinical Toxicologist at the New York state Health Diagnostic Laboratory and Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University, where she teaches Veterinary Toxicology. Her professional interests lie primarily in veterinary diagnostic toxicology and pathology with emphasis on wildlife and avian diseases. Dr. Kris Carter, who has both DVM and MPVM degrees, now works for the California Department of Health Services, Division of Communicable Disease Control, Veterinary Public Health Section. Dr. Karen Duncan completed the DVM program at the University of Georgia and worked in small animal practice, including emergency medicine, until 1992. Following Envirovet 1994, Karen completed a residency and MS in toxicology at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Her thesis demonstrated that bismuth shot is far less hazardous than highly toxic lead shot to waterfowl. In 2002, Karen was certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology. Karen now works in industry. Dr. Tracy DuVernoy was a small animal practitioner when she participated in the Envirovet session of 1994. Subsequently, she completed the requirements for the Master of Public Health degree at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland. She then accepted a two-year post-doctoral fellowship with the Food and Drug Administration to study post-immunization effects of vaccines in children. This was followed by a position with the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine where she investigated disease outbreaks among Army personnel. Currently, Tracy is Chief of the Rabies and Vector-borne Diseases Division of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She is involved in the development and oversight of many projects such as West Nile virus surveillance, Maryland's Emergency Preparedness Plan, the prevalence of Baylisascaris procyonis in Maryland raccoons, and zoonotic disease surveillance. Dr. Kathleen MacMahon completed a MS in zoology at the University of New Hampshire, and subsequently served as a lecturer for Plymouth State College, where she taught biology, human anatomy, and physiology. Kathleen completed the DVM program at the University of Minnesota shortly before attending Envirovet 1994. Soon thereafter, she joined the Air Force and worked as a toxicologist in the Tri-Service Toxicology Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Her work focused on the health effects of environmental toxins. Currently, Kathleen works in the Educational and Information Division of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She evaluates the risks of biological and chemical occupational hazards. She is the author of the NIOSH West Nile virus topic page which can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/westnile. Dr. Brian Porter received a BS in Veterinary Science in 1989, and a DVM in 1992, both from Texas A&M University. From 1992 to 1997, Brian worked as a mixed-animal practitioner. He attended Envirovet 1994 to explore options in environmental toxicology. Brian completed a residency in anatomic pathology at Cornell University in 2003. He is currently a member of the pathology faculty at Texas A&M. His research interests include neuropathology and toxicologic pathology. Dr. Robert Robinson studied biology at Western Michigan University, and animal husbandry at Michigan State University, and then completed a DVM program at Michigan State University. Bob has since served as a large animal practitioner. After completing Envirovet 1994, Bob established and has repeatedly offered an educational program for high school students to familiarize them with wildlife and environmental problems in the Lake Michigan ecosystem. Dr. Dave Rotstein is a Research Assistant Professor in anatomic pathology at North Carolina State University. He obtained a Master's of Preventative Veterinary Medicine from UC Davis in 1996, worked as a wildlife veterinarian for the State in conservation of the endangered Florida panther (cougar), obtained a Master's from University of Florida in 2000, and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathology in 2002. He is working to make zoological/wildlife/exotic pathology his primary focus. He is currently planning studies on the impacts of malathion on salamanders as well as of mercury on alligators. Dr. Kevin Silver received a MS in Veterinary Science (neurophysiology) from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Thereafter, he completed the DVM program at the same university. Kevin spent several years in private practice, during which time he developed an intense interest in ecosystem health. After Envirovet 1994, Kevin went to the University of Nairobi in Kenya, where he developed a post-B.V.M. graduate program in wildlife health. Over the next three years, he continued to make trips to the Ethiopia and Somalia to teach workshops in grazing and arid lands restoration. He is currently launching a company, American Veterinary Inspection Service, which will conduct livestock health inspection programs to support Horn of Africa livestock exports, develop regional disease surveillance systems, and improve arid land livestock production strategies. Dr. Gary Teare received his DVM degree from the University of Guelph in 1986. He was in mixed practice for a few years in rural Canada, and then completed a MS program in immunology at the University of Toronto. During Envirovet 1994, he was enrolled in and subsequently completed a PhD program in epidemiology at the University of Guelph, where his project focused on chemotherapeutic agents in aquaculture systems. He then worked as Health Scientist for the Research Department and Canadian Collaborating Centre of the International Resident Assessment Instrument (interRAI), at Providence Centre, Toronto, and the Department of Health Administration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. There he was involved in human clinical epidemiological research on inpatient rehabilitation, chronic care, and Alzheimer's day programs. Currently, Gary works in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with health care providers, administrators and policy makers, in his role as Director of Quality Measurement and Analysis at the Health Quality Council - an independent organization established under provincial legislation - to monitor, report on, and improve the quality of the health care system. Dr. Ramesh Thampy, a second-generation Kenyan, received a BVSc (DVM) at Kerala Agricultural University in India. Dr. Thampy worked as a veterinarian for the Kenyan government for five years, and thereafter was a Program Officer for Action-Aid Kenya, and a Program Coordinator for CARE-Kenya. From 1988 until 1999, Ramesh served as Project Executive for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) sponsored Lake Nakuru Conservation and Development Programme at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. The program involved not only research but also watershed education for small children and farmers, as well as interactions with resource managers, industries, other non-governmental agencies, and politicians to support improved management of wildlife resources. Recently he served as to Director of Programs for Kenya, at the World Wildlife Fund in Nairobi, Kenya. Currently, he is working as a consultant on wildlife and environmental issues. 1993 Dr. Stephen Diana completed a MS project at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine with Dr. Beasley, focused on the impacts of herbicides on amphibian survival and development. Subsequently, Dr. Diana was employed by the Peregrine Fund in Boise, Idaho, where he worked to prevent extinction of South American harpy eagles. Steve recently joined the Pfizer Corporation in Groton, Connecticut. Dr. Leslie Dierauf was a member of the Envirovet Summer Institute class of 1993. She has served as an AVMA Congressional Fellow, authored chapters in and served as the principal editor for the definitive reference Marine Mammal Medicine (second edition, 2001), and worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as Habitat Plan Conservation Coordinator, which involved public/private partnerships to sustain threatened and endangered species in the southwest US. She co-founded the Alliance of Veterinarians for the Environment (AVE), received the prestigious Annual Welfare Award from the American Veterinary Medical Association, and helped initiate the American Veterinary Medical Association Committee on Environmental Issues. Currently, Leslie is Director of the USGS, National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, WI. She has served on the Envirovet Faculty since 2001. Wendy Grethen completed a MS degree in wildlife toxicology at the University of Illinois, and served as a Wildlife Toxicologist with the Natural Resources Division of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (the Army's primary ecological sciences facility). Recently Wendy has served as an instructor of environmental biology for the Duluth, Minnesota Community Education program and . She also works with environmental groups including Minnesotans for Wilderness, and the Duluth Public Policy Alliance. Dr. Gwen Griffith, before attending Envirovet 1993, had been an Assistant Professor of Equine Medicine at Iowa State University, an AVMA Congressional Fellow, and a grant manager for the US Agency for International Development. After Envirovet, she co-founded and currently serves as President of the Alliance of Veterinarians for the Environment (AVE). Recently she served as Executive Director of the Tennessee Environmental Council, an environmental education and advocacy organization in Nashville, Tennessee. Currently she is directing AVE program activities and consulting as an environmental project manager for several environmental nonprofit organizations in Tennessee. She is involved in veterinary environmental continuing education, pollution prevention activities, river restoration projects, and watershed planning efforts. Dr. Safdar Khan completed a residency and PhD in toxicology at the University of Illinois. His thesis focused on the blue-green algal toxin, microcystin, as a member of Dr. Beasley's laboratory group. Dr. Khan subsequently passed the certifying examination of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology, and currently serves as a Clinical Toxicologist and Research Leader for the ASPCA, National Animal Poison Control Center, in Urbana, Illinois. Dr. Eve Levin was a veterinary practitioner in Chicago when she attended Envirovet 1993. She has since attended ecosystem health workshops sponsored by the Alliance of Veterinarians for the Environment and the 2000 Envirovet program in terrestrial and international ecosystem health. She is currently the co-director for Envirovet Middle East, which is in the early stages of development. In April 2005 she added a lovely little daughter to her family. Dr. David Miller completed a MS in biology at California Polytechnic University in 1988 and a DVM at the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1992. Dave is employed at Colorado State University in the Animal Population Health Institute and the Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology and is also a Postdoctoral Fellow in Zoological Medicine in the Clinical Sciences Department of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. He is currently doing research on disease transmission between livestock and wildlife, including collaborations with the US Department of Agriculture, and is also studying lemur diseases in Madagascar. In addition, he recently lead the national effort to develop "Guidelines on Euthanasia of Non-domestic Animals" which offers state-of-the-art knowledge on ways to relieve suffering and humanely terminate life for a wide range of specieis, both in captivity and the wild. Dr. Timothy Miller-Morgan is a veterinarian who graduated from Washington State University. Tim is currently a PhD student in a program focused on aquatic animal health and pathology, at the Hatfield Marine Science Center of Oregon State University. He is also affiliated with the Northwest Consortium for Wildlife Conservation Research. Dr. Scott Newman had just completed an internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City when he participated in Envirovet 1993. Immediately thereafter, Scott moved to the University of California-Davis where he completed a PhD program focused on the effects of oil spills on clinical pathology parameters of birds. Scott has been retained at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine as Wildlife Veterinarian for the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, which is part of the Wildlife Health Center. In 2001 and 2002, he lectured in the Envirovet Aquatic unit on prevention of oil spills and management of oiled waterfowl and other wildlife. In 2004 Scott lectured at the "Biodiversity on the Brink" at Columbia University and was interviewed on the radio in New Jersey to explain the effects of recent oil spills. Dr. Kevin Snekvik was a member of the Envirovet class of 1993. He earned his DVM degree from Washington State University in 1994. After a year of small animal practice in Montana, he completed a residency in anatomic pathology and PhD program involving immune responses of goats to caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus. In 2002, Dr. Snekvik joined the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WADDL) as a clinical instructor with primary duties in diagnostic pathology and training of veterinary students and residents. In 2003, he became an assistant clinical professor and in 2004 was board certified in veterinary anatomic pathology. He also heads the aquatic health section of WADDL, with a staff of 8 to provide health screening for interstate and international movement of live fish as well as diagnostic testing for marine and fresh water fish. His research focuses on pathogenesis and compative immunology of aquatic animal diseases. Dr. Scott Syska worked in research and fisheries diagnostics at Southern Illinois University in fisheries biology beginning in 1992. Scott is now the fish pathologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, whose mission statement includes "to preserve and restore the state's biodiversity; to inform and educate the public about fish . . . conservation". Dr. Mark Wickstrom completed a residency in toxicology as well as a PhD program focused on mechanisms of blue-green algal hepatotoxins with Dr. Beasley's group at the University of Illinois. He then worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doing ecotoxicologic risk assessments in Denver, Colorado. Mark turned down an offer to stay with the EPA to accept a position as an ecotoxicologist with Land Care Research in New Zealand. Recently he became an Associate Professor of Wildlife Toxicology at the Western Veterinary College in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where he is part of a rapidly growing program in Environmental Toxicology. 1992 Dr. Alonso Aguirre (DVM, MS, PhD), of the Envirovet class of 1992, completed a two-year research position at Oregon State University working with wildlife/domestic animal disease issues in national parks, after which he joined Colorado State University as an Assistant Professor. There, he developed research on sea turtle diseases with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and pursued ecosystem health and biological diversity training and research with workers at the Smithsonian Institution. Subsequently, Alonso served as the veterinary medical officer for NMFS Protected Species Investigation, Honolulu Laboratory, investigating the health of endangered Hawaiian monk seals, and continuing his long-term research on marine turtle diseases. Currently, Alonso is Director for Conservation Medicine for Wildlife Trust, USA, and teaches conservation medicine at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Conservation Medicine and is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University's Center for Environmental Research and Conservation. Alonso has extensive international experience and frequently conducts wildlife management and conservation courses in Latin America, Europe, and the US. In addition, he received the prestigious Harry Jalanka Memorial Medal Award for his work in zoo and wildlife medicine. Alonso is an author and the principal editor of the book Conservation Medicine: Ecological Health in Practice. Dr. Raa'nan Ariav completed the DVM degree at the University of Wisconsin just before enrolling in Envirovet 1992. He then returned to his native Israel and developed a large aquatic veterinary practice. Currently he and his colleagues are working in every possible sector of the industry including freshwater fisheries, in-land marine fisheries, cage culture operations (in the Mediterranean and the Red Seas), edible and ornamental fish projects, and extensive, intensive and super-intensive facilities. He is also very active in "over-seas" services and travels to every corner of the globe. Now, he is not only providing veterinary service but also a “broader” perspective on planning, management, breeding, quality control. In addition, he offers an extension service operation in Western-Turkey. He provides his perspectives and insights to fish farmers in China, Turkey, Eastern Europe, and Central America. Dr. Scott Fitzgerald had earned a DVM at Michigan State University and a PhD in pathology at Purdue University before participating in the Envirovet Program of 1992. He successfully completed the certifying examinations of the American College of Veterinary Pathology and the American College of Poultry Veterinarians. He works at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Michigan State University as an Associate Professor of Pathology. He is an expert in the areas of toxico-pathology and tuberculosis in wildlife. In 2006, Scott presented the Gross Morbid Anatomy Course Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences on the campus of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Suzan Loerzel was a small animal/exotic animal veterinary practitioner for about a year after graduating from the DVM program at the University of Florida at Gainesville. Immediately thereafter, Sue undertook a graduate program in wildlife toxicology at the same institution. The topic of Sue's PhD thesis was visual impairment in cormorants due to environmental exposure to mercury. Her fellowship and research were supported by the U.S. EPA Superfund Emergency Group program. Dr. Loerzel served as a Laboratory Director at the Live Oak Diagnostic Laboratory, which is a part of the State of Florida Division of Animal Industry. She is now employed as an Emerging Diseases Epidemiologist for the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of Veterinary Services (USDA-APHIS-VS) in Florida. Mr. Joseph Murphy completed a second MS degree after Envirovet 1992, and serves as leader of the Environmental Health and Safety group of the University of San Francisco. He has conducted research on amphibian species, water quality, contaminants, and interactions between amphibians and species that prey upon them. Dr. Todd O'Hara is the husband of Dr. Carla Willetto and father of Lars and Anne O'Hara. Todd completed a PhD in toxicology at the Medical College of Virginia before undertaking the DVM program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, Todd is an Associate Professor of Wildlife Toxicology at the University of Alasak Fairbanks (UAF) and focuses his investigations on marine and terrestrial wildlife of the northern coast of Alaska. His work focuses on health and sustainability of wildlife in the Arctic marine and terrestrial environments, with emphasis on contaminant-associated risks to the animals as well as to local subsistence hunters. He has served as an Envirovet faculty member in 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001 and 2002. Todd was an author on the chapter on toxicology for the CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine, Second Edition (2001) and another toxicology-based chapter in Marine Mammal Research: Conservation beyond Crisis (2005). Dr. O'Hara recognizes it has been a great privilege to be funded to work with the people of rural Alaska and its amazing wildlife for over a decade. Ms. Candy Schrank obtained a MS in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989, and is an Environmental Toxicologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection. Candy is a member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Association for Great Lakes Research, and the American Fisheries Society. She has recently studied contaminants and endocrine disruption in Lake Michigan yellow perch. Dr. Jill Spangenberg was awarded a DVM degree at the University of California-Davis, and, following Envirovet, completed a PhD program at the Bodega Bay Research Station of the same university. Her research focused on mechanisms of environmental contaminants in coastal aquatic wildlife. Currently, she works for the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco. Dr. Amy Willsey completed the DVM program at Cornell University in 1994 and subsequently attended the First International Symposium on Ecosystem Health and Medicine in Ottawa, Ontario. Amy is currently an Assistant State Public Health Veterinarian for New York State, where her work involves studies of new oral rabies vaccines for free-ranging wildlife and control of West Nile Virus as well as other zoonotic diseases. 1991 Dr. Cecilia Ambrogi completed a PhD degree focused on lead toxicosis at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Universita Degli Studie di Pisa, Italy. Currently, she is employed in Lucca, Italy, in the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture. Her work focuses on breeding of hares, gray partridges, and mountain pheasants to restock the Orecchiella and Montefalcone Natural Reserves. Cecilia also is collaborating on research addressing vector-borne and other infectious diseases of wild animals, and recently studied the susceptibility of mouflons to Brucella ovis. Dr. Ra'anan Ariav completed the DVM program at the University of Wisconsin after taking the Envirovet course, and is currently Director of Veterinary Health Services for the Fish Health Laboratory in Maagan Michael, Israel. In 1999, Ra'anan presented a paper at the European Association of Fish Pathologists, on his work in massive mortality that occurred in carp in Israel. Dr. E. Murl Bailey was a Professor of Toxicology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A & M University when he participated in Envirovet 1991. He continues in his role as an instructor, researcher, and diagnostician there and also works in toxicology consulting. He recently retired from the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps after 38 years of commissioned service. Dr. Bailey is very active in organized veterinary medicine and veterinary toxicology. He is a member of the AVMA Committee on Environmental Issues. He is currently working on issues of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Bioterrorism, and Agroterrorism. He has been a strong supporter of Envirovet in each of these arenas. Dr. Lucie Dutil of Quebec completed a MS degree focused on pollutants and the health of eels in the St. Lawrence River following Envirovet 1991. She worked as a consultant in epidemiology from 1993 to 2001 and is currently an epidemiologist with Health Canada. Lucie met Dr. Carl Uhland during Envirovet 1991 and they were later married. Dr. Ravi Gooneratne obtained his veterinary degree in Sri Lanka and a PhD from Murdoch University, Australia. Ravi was a member of the inaugural class of Envirovet in 1991 (all aquatic). In 2004, Ravi participated in the Developing Country segment of Envirovet in South Africa; and in 2005, he participated in the terrestrial portion of the program at White Oak. Ravi is an expert on heavy metals, and is employed as an Associate Professor of environmental toxicology in the Faculty of the Agriculture and Life Sciences at Lincoln University in Canterbury, New Zealand. Ravi established a new graduate program in environmental toxicology there. Also at Lincoln University, with funding from the Rotary Club of Lincoln, Ravi organized and hosted the Youth Environmental Summit, which brought together 20 high school students from 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, Ravi also established other creative ecological toxicology and broader environmental education initiatives for high school students, college students, and biomedical professionals from Australasia. In 2006, he and his colleagues received a new grant from Asia New Zealand Foundation to monitor, assess, and help control risks related to agricultural pesticides in an intensive agricultural region of his native country, Sri Lanka. Now, Ravi is partnering with fellow Envirovet 2005 participant Dr. Karn Lekagul, a veterinarian of the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, to organize, obtain support for, and initiate Envirovet Asia in 2007. Ravi visited Thailand and China in late 2005 to establish the expert contacts and venues needed to make such a project feasible. The course will likely involve collaboration with several Asia Pacific countries including Japan, and will emphasize environmental problems in China, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Dr. Mark Mense was a Veterinary Pathology Resident at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Washington DC, when he participated in Envirovet 1991. He is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army's Veterinary Corps, serving as Director, Division of Education and Research, Department of Veterinary Pathology, AFIP. His current job responsibilities include serving as Director of the AFIP Registry of Toxicologic Pathology for Animals (RTPA), the RTPA Online Conference, the Gross Morbid Anatomy of Diseases of Animals Course, the Pathology of Laboratory Animals Course, and Department research oversight. He is also responsible for resident research training for 14 residents in the largest and most successful veterinary pathology residency-training program in the world. The AFIP Veterinary Pathology Residency Program is the chief source of trained and certified pathologists for Department of Defense biomedical research programs. Following his pathology residency, he became board certified in Veterinary Pathology (ACVP) in 1992 and General Toxicology (ABT) in 1998. He received his PhD (1995) in Experimental Pathology from Georgetown University, Washington, DC; and MBA (2002) from Regis University, Denver, CO. He has authored or co-authored over 50 publications, abstracts and presentations. His research interests include environmental toxicology and mechanisms of toxin induced pathology. Dr. Erica (Black) Periman, currently of Moose, Wyoming, graduated in 1994 from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University. Erica and her husband, an environmental educator, attended the First International Symposium on Ecosystem Health and Medicine in Ottawa, Ontario. They returned to the US after two years in the Peace Corps in Ecuador where they had developed community-based environmental education programs. Toward the end of their Peace Corps service, they went to the Galapagos Islands, a possession of Ecuador, where Erica initiated an energetic spay/neuter program for dogs and cats to limit their predation on indigenous wildlife. Dr. Carl Uhland, a veterinarian from Illinois, currently works as a member of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Montréal. Carl is in charge of diagnostics for all fish farms in the province of Québec. He is married to Dr. Lucie Dutil (Envirovet 1991), and they now have three children. Dr. Bill Van Bonn graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University in 1986. His duties, responsibilities, and professional interests are focused on preventive medicine and enhanced clinical veterinary services for aquatic animals under human care. Bill was employed by the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program for almost 15 years where his last position was Managing Veterinarian for Research and Advanced Clinical Technologies. He is an executive board member of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine and is currently the Senior Director for Animal Health at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL. Dr. Janet Whaley attended Envirovet immediately following graduation from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida. Shortly thereafter, with facilitation by an Envirovet classmate, she was hired into an ecotoxicology risk assessment and risk management job at the Army Environmental Hygiene Agency in Maryland. She has prioritized and monitored the cleanup of various military hazardous waste sites. She also has returned to Envirovet to lecture during the risk assessment unit of the program. Dr. Whaley is well known in national and international ecotoxicology. She is completing a PhD program in wildlife and ecological toxicology and is National Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator of the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Protected Resources. |
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