Wildlife Epidemiology Lab, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
Wildlife Veterinarian
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I've always been interested in science and wanted to dedicate my career to the conservation of animals and the environment. I decided to become a veterinarian to help wild animals whose lives have been negatively impacted by human actions. I received my BS in Animal Science from Cornell University in 2009 and my DVM from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. After graduation, I completed internships in small animal and wildlife medicine, then worked as the veterinarian at a wildlife sanctuary for 2 years before completing my PhD at the University of Illinois in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. My PhD work focused on the epidemiology of ophidiomycosis (snake fungal disease), specifically investigating treatment options, host response to infection, and pathogen genomic variation. As a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Cleveland Lab at SCWDS, I am involved in projects on Guinea Worm transmission and ophidiomycosis surveillance in the state of Georgia.
April 2019