Wildlife University is a comprehensive short-course for students on the medical management of wildlife species. The curriculum is a two-day program. Topics covered include physical examinations, bandaging techniques, anesthesia & analgesia, career opportunities, and more.
The 2025 Wildlife University will be held both in-person and virtually.
Schedule
Times listed in central time zone.
Saturday, March 1, 2025
- 8:30 a.m. – Registration
- 9 a.m. – Ethics of Zoo and Wildlife Med
Dr. Samantha Sander - 10 a.m. – Public Relations and Conservation
Dr. Matthew Allender - 11 a.m. – Conservation in Punta San Juan
Dr. Michael Adkesson - 12 p.m. – Lunch Break
- 1 p.m. – Wildlife Ophthalmology
Dr. Todd Marlo - 2 p.m. – Cheetah Medicine
Dr. Karen Terio - 3 p.m. – Zoo Anesthetic Emergencies
Dr. Danielle Strahl - 4 p.m. – Break
- 4:15 p.m. – Career Paths in Wildlife/Zoo Med
Panel - 6 p.m. – Dinner
- 6:30 p.m. – Trivia/Wild Night Out (Separately Ticketed)
Sunday, March 2, 2025
- 9 a.m. – Attwater’s Prairie Chickens
Dr. Judilee Marrow - 10 a.m. – Wildlife Legislation
Dr. Stephany Lewis - 11 a.m. – To Be Announced
- 12:00 p.m. – Lunch Break
- 1:00 p.m. – Wet Lab (Ticketed In-Person Lab, Available to University of Illinois Students – Maximum: 30)
- 3:00 p.m. – Wet Lab Concludes
SPEAKERS
Dr. Michael Adkesson
Dr. Mike Adkesson is President & CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago – a global conservation leader and one of the world’s premier zoos. He is a passionate advocate on the importance of modern zoos and aquariums as a means for inspiring societal compassion and concern for wildlife and nature. Dr. Adkesson previously worked for many years as a clinical zoo and wildlife veterinarian, and later as Vice President of Clinical Medicine, at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. For over 15 years, Dr. Adkesson has led marine conservation programs in coastal Peru focusing on endangered Humboldt penguins, Peruvian fur seals, South American sea lions, and other marine species. He holds an associate researcher position with Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru and an adjunct faculty position with the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a past-president of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and involved in numerous professional organizations.
Dr. Adkesson received his DVM from the University of Illinois in 2004. Following a small animal internship, he completed a residency in zoological medicine at the University of Missouri and Saint Louis Zoo. He is board-certified in zoological medicine by the ACZM and ECZM, and also has an MBA from the University of Illinois Gies College of Business. Mike shares his world with his amazing wife Adriane (DVM, Illinois 2007), 3 children, and an assortment of animals.
Dr. Matthew Allender
Dr. Matthew Allender received his Bachelors of Science degree in Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution prior to completing veterinary school at the University of Illinois in 2004. He was in small animal practice for two years while completing a Masters of Science focusing on Conservation Medicine. Dr. Allender then went on to complete a three-year residency in Zoological Medicine at the University of Tennessee and Knoxville Zoo before finally returning to the University of Illinois to join the faculty in 2009. Concurrently, he completed a PhD in Wildlife Epidemiology investigating ranavirus in free-ranging chelonians in the U.S. Since that time, he has taught, provided clinical service, and performed research in the epidemiology of infectious and non-infectious diseases of free-ranging and managed wildlife. Currently, Dr. Allender is in a joint position as the Director of the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois and Director of Conservation Medicine and Science at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. He has authored/co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles and 250 national presentations on wildlife and zoological medicine.
Dr. Stephany Lewis
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 one-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.
Dr. Todd Marlo
Dr. Todd Marlo is originally from Marion, Illinois, and did not know that he wanted to be a veterinarian until his senior year of high school. However, as with all his career decisions, once made he became laser focused, he graduated early from Southern Illinois University and became part of the inaugural class for the new integrated curriculum at the University of Illinois. Following graduation, Dr. Marlo did a rotating small animal internship at the University of Missouri and then stayed on for a comparative Ophthalmology residency. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois, he was the sole ophthalmologist in a private practice clinic in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Dr. Judilee Marrow
Dr. Judilee Marrow is a 2007 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation she completed internships in the Chicagoland area and at Kansas State University and a residency at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine in 2015. Dr. Marrow worked as a staff veterinarian at the Binder Park Zoo and the Houston Zoo before returning to the U. of I. CVM as a clinical assistant professor in 2022. Working at the Houston Zoo allowed her to fulfill a dream of working on a ‘bucket list’ species – the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken.
Dr. Samantha Sander
Dr. Sam Sander is a Clinical Associate Professor in Zoological Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, where she serves as Service Head for the Zoo Ambulatory service and Director of the U. of I. Zoological Medicine Specialty Internship. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where she earned both her undergraduate and veterinary degrees. Her post graduate training includes a small animal rotating internship in Connecticut, a zoo specialty internship at the University of Illinois, and a zoological medicine residency at Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine and currently serves as a veterinary scientific advisor for the AZA African Penguin SSP and Penguin TAG.
Dr. Danielle Strahl
Dr. Danielle Strahl-Heldreth obtained a Bachelor of Science and Master of Education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. She went on to earn her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois in 2014 and completed a specialty internship in Anesthesia and Pain Management at the same institution in 2015 followed by a yearlong small animal rotating internship at a private practice in Indianapolis, IN. She then returned to the University of Illinois for a residency in Veterinary Anesthesia and Pain Management (2016-2019). Dr. Strahl became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2020, while working as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois. She has continued her clinical appointment at Illinois and has since earned a certificate in veterinary acupuncture from the Chi University in Reddick, FL (2024). Dr. Strahl-Heldreth enjoys teaching the art of anesthesia and pain management to students, technicians and veterinarians and serves as Director of the University of Illinois’ ACVAA Residency and Specialty Internship programs. Dr. Strahl’s professional interests include providing and researching safe and effective anesthetic protocols for non-traditional species and the utilization of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) techniques to aid in peri-operative and chronic pain management. In her free time, Dr. Strahl enjoys spending time with her husband and fur-family, outdoor activities such as hiking and horseback riding, traveling and learning how to cook new and exciting cuisines.
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.
Registration
The early registration deadline is Tuesday, January 21. Registrations after this date will be charged the full registration fee.
Registration will close on Friday, February 14, at 4:30 p.m. (central time). Early registration is recommended.
Registration Rates:
- $75 on or before January 21
- $85 after January 22
- Fee to be announced – Wet lab (In-person, available to University of Illinois Students – Maximum: 30)
Cancellation Policy
Written cancellation should be sent to illini.nts@gmail.com by February 14. A $10 cancellation fee will apply for cancellations that include a ticket to the wet lab. Registrations are transferable. After the cancellation deadline, refunds will not be made. We reserve the right to cancel sessions and to change speakers if necessary. In the event of cancellation, all registrants will receive a full refund. The University is not responsible for expenses in the event of a cancellation or date change.
Questions, email the University of Illinois Non-Traditional Species Club at illini.nts@gmail.com.