Success Stories
(former students)
Dr. Jessica Huntington
Dr. Huntington is a 2018 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research involved analyzing blood smears of snakes with snake fungal disease. Currently, Jessica is a small animal intern.
Dr. Evan Emmel
Dr. Emmel is a 2018 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. He investigated the use of thermography in the health assessment of free-ranging box turtles. Currently, Evan is a small animal intern.
Dr. Grace Archer
Dr. Archer is a 2017 DVM graduate of University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She joined the lab in 2014 as a veterinary student. She studied the epidemiology of co-pathogens in free-ranging box turtles.
Dr. Suzette DePersio
Dr. DePersio is a 2017 DVM graduate of University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She joined the lab in 2014 as a veterinary student. She used CT scans to validate methods of body condition estimates in box turtles.
Dr. Erin Newman
Dr. Newman is a 2018 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She assessed the health of Blanding’s turtles in the Chicagoland area, and her research focused on using CT scans to measure body condition in turtles. Currently, she is in small animal practice.
Dr. Seema Patel
Dr. Patel is a 2018 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Her project involved surveying for snake fungal disease in Ohio. Currently, Seema is a small animal intern.
Dr. Katie Hayward
Dr. Hayward is a 2018 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She worked with the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization teaching students and collecting samples to test for diseases in reptiles and amphibians. Currently, Katie is in small animal practice while pursuing an MPh.
Dr. Claire Butkus
Dr. Butkus is a 2017 DVM graduate of University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She joined the lab in 2014 as a veterinary student. Her project focused on obtaining bone marrow from deceased turtle shells to test for ranavirus.
Dr. Dana Lindemann
Dr. Lindemann is a 2012 DVM graduate from Oregon State College of Veterinary Medicine. She joined the lab as a resident in the Illinois Zoological and Aquatic Animal Residency program and worked on developing a qPCR assay for detection of Emydoidea herpesvirus 1 in Blanding’s turtles, and the pharmacokinetics of anti-fungals in cottonmouths and Massasauga rattlesnakes. She completed her MS, and is now the Associate veterinarian for Seaworld Orlando.
Dr. Brittany Willeford
Dr. Willeford is a 2018 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She investigated mosquitoes as a potential vector for infectious diseases in free-ranging reptiles and amphibians. Currently, she is in small animal practice.
Dr. Kayla Boers
Dr. Boers is a 2018 DVM graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Her investigated the role the canine search team had in the transmission of turtle pathogens, which was published in Herpetological Review in 2017. Currently, Kayla is in small animal practice.
Dr. Lauren Novak
Dr. Novak is a 2017 DVM graduate of University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She joined the lab in 2014 as a veterinary student. Her research looked at Mycoplasma prevalance in birds.