Professor List – 14 Marine Veterinary Professors

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Marine veterinary professors help care for animals that live near the water or even underneath it. This can include fish as well as dolphins, stingrays, turtles and many others. Out list of 14 marine veterinary professors takes a look at those who are trained as doctors of veterinary medicine, but are also involved in research and/or instruction at a college or university. Several are involved with treatment and even the rescue of marine and aquatic animals, but many others take a deeper look at these animals to determine how environmental stress, toxins, and disease affect them.

Dr. Paul Bowser

Dr. Paul Bowser

Cornell University

A professor of aquatic animal medicine at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Paul Bowser in April 2013 received the Christensen Award for Excellence in Fish Health from the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine. The award is given to someone who has contributed significantly to the fish health and medicine field through research and education, and Dr. Bowser was only the fourth person to receive the award since its establishment in 1988. His research interests include, among others, retroviral-caused tumors in fish including the Atlantic salmon and the walleye. He has also been involved in research that has been published in the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health and Journal of Fish Diseases.

Dr. Rosemarie Borkowski

Dr. Rosemarie Borkowski

Jacksonville University

Dr. Rosemarie Borkowski

A faculty member with Jacksonville University's Biology and Marine Science Department, Dr. Rosemarie Borkowski also provides her services to many other organizations including the United States Navy Marine Mammal Program. Prior to receiving her doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Florida, she worked for the Miami Seaquarium as a bottlenose dolphin trainer. She has also worked in a diverse number of facilities before joining Jacksonville University, including at the New England Aquarium. She is involved in the Georgia Aquarium's Dolphin Conservation Field Station, which was founded as a joint venture in 2008 between the aquarium and Marineland's Dolphin Adventure.

Dr. John Hawke

Dr. John Hawke

Louisiana State University

Dr. John Hawke is an associate professor in aquatic animal health at Louisiana State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. He also serves as chief diagnostician at the Louisiana Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory, which provides services to aquaculturists, ornamental fish keepers, state fisheries biologists, and many others. He has undertaken research into fish health and diagnostics for more than 25 years, and examined aquatic disease in more than 100 different aquatic species coming from 25-plus different states. He serves as vice president of the Fish Health Section of the American Fisheries Society and has had research papers published in the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, and Diseases of Aquatic Animal Organisms.

Dr. Craig Harms

Dr. Craig Harms

North Carolina State University

Dr. Craig Harms

An associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, Dr. Craig Harms obtained his doctor of veterinary medicine from Iowa State University and also has a PhD in immunology. His area of expertise is in zoological medicine with an emphasis on aquatics. He's been published in many academic journals such as the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, and the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health for research that he has undertaken with colleagues.  He has studied illness, disease or other aspects of health in animals that include free-ranging and aquarium-maintained green sea turtles, juvenile alligators, blue crabs, coastal juvenile green turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, leatherback sea turtles, river frogs, stingrays, tilapia, and others.

Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan

Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan

Oregon State University

An assistant professor in aquatic animal health at Oregon State University's Department of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Tim Miller-Morgan focuses his research on the health of ornamental fish, and the health management and husbandry of captive aquatic animals. This includes developing best health practices for U.S. importers and dealer in koi. He directs the animal aquatic health program at OSU's Hatfield Marine Science Center. Additionally, Dr. Miller-Morgan has instructed and provided consultant services primarily regarding the health of ornamental fish in countries as diverse as Australia, Indonesia, Japan, India and several others. He also helped found the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association, previously acting as its director-at-large.

Dr. Brad Krohn

Dr. Brad Krohn

Portland Community College

Dr. Brad Krohn received his doctor of veterinary medicine from Mississippi State University, and serves as a professor at Portland Community College. His special interests aquatic based, and he lectures on aquaculture and fish medicine as well as teaches on other subjects for the school's vet tech program. He is an alumnus of the AquaVet program, held at the National Marine Biological Laboratory in Massachusetts and sponsored through the veterinary departments of Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, along with three marine science institutions. As well, he runs his own business, Aquatic Veterinary Services of Oregon, primarily catering to the care and treatment of fish.

Dr. Roxana Smolowitz

Dr. Roxana Smolowitz

Rogers Williams University

Dr. Roxana Smolowitz

Dr. Roxana Smolowitz is a visiting professor of biology with expertise in aquatic veterinary science at Rogers Williams University in Rhode Island. In addition to teaching at RWU, she also has taught invertebrate anatomy and medicine for Aquavet, an aquatic veterinary medicine program hosted through two universities and three marine science institutions, as well as taught fish anatomy and physiology at Tufts University. She obtained her doctor of veterinary medicine from Purdue University and has worked as the director of animal health at the New England Aquarium. In 2009, she became the director of the Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory at RWU. She has also spent time in the past researching the effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on the tissues of fish, particularly salmon, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Dr. Samantha Shields

Dr. Samantha Shields

St. Matthew's University

Dr. Samantha Shields is assistant dean of student affairs and assistant professor of clinical sciences at St. Matthew's University in the Grand Cayman British West Indies. She received her doctor of veterinary medicine from St. George's University in Grenada. Her interests include, among others, marine mammal medicine, and she helps to coordinate the school's Cayman marine veterinary medicine program, known as MARVET. She also serves as a faculty advisor to the school's Coral Reef Research Club, which was formed through the School of Veterinary Medicine and is dedicated to studying and protecting coral species in and around the Cayman Islands.

Dr. Tuula Hollmen

Dr. Tuula Hollmen

University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Dr. Tuula Hollmen is an associate research professor at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and acts as science director of its Alaska SeaLife Center. She has worked with seaducks and other types of marine birds for more than 20 years.  Much of this research has looked at the breeding ecology, disease, and toxicology of eiders, which are large seaducks, as well as among other types of marine birds. She oversees the eider research program at the SeaLife Center and is a member of the recovery team for Steller's and spectacled eiders. She earned both her doctor of veterinary medicine and her PhD in physiological ecology from the University of Helsinki.

Dr. Sylvain De Guise

Dr. Sylvain De Guise

University of Connecticut

Dr. Sylvain De Guise is a professor at the University of Connecticut and the director of the Connecticut SeaGrant College Program, which partners with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to meet the scientific research and outreach needs in the area. He received his doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Montreal and his PhD in immunotoxicology from the University of Quebec. His particular research interests include the immunology, immunotoxicology and pathology of aquatic animals, specifically marine mammals and oysters. Research that has been published with colleagues has looked at disease and toxicology within marine mammals such as the bottlenose dolphin, California sea lion, and harbour and grey seals.

Dr. Thomas B. Waltzek

Dr. Thomas B. Waltzek

University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Thomas B. Waltzek is an assistant professor at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine. He received both his doctor of veterinary medicine and a PhD in comparative pathology from the University of California, Davis, and is co-director of the school's aquatic animal health program. His research interests include, among others, aquatic animal zoonoses, which are diseases that can spread from animals to humans. He's provided numerous aquatic animal training workshops, most often as related to fish, and has received several grants including an assistance grant in 2012 for $100,00 that looked in part at viral diseases in stranded marine animals. He is also a member of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine.

Dr. Greg Bossart

Dr. Greg Bossart

University of Georgia

An adjunct professor at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Greg Bossart also serves as the chief veterinary officer at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. He received his doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in Immunology from Florida International University. He has nearly 30 years of clinical experience including in treating marine mammals as well as other wildlife. Most recently, his research has delved into emerging and re-surging diseases in animals that include dolphins, manatees and whales. He holds particular interest in investigating how aquatic species may manifest the effects of global climate change and the ecosystem.

Dr. Michelle Fleetwood

Dr. Michelle Fleetwood

University of New Hampshire

As a senior veterinary pathologist at the University of New Hampshire, Dr. Michelle Fleetwood focuses on care and treatment of marine mammals, as while as wildlife species and small animals. She received her doctor of veterinary medicine from Kansas State University and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. As a member of the Joint Working Group on Unusual Marine Mammal Mortality Events, she investigated the stranding of marine mammals over a period of four years. She's had shared research published in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife.

Dr. Steven Smith

Dr. Steven Smith

Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Steven Smith

Dr. Steven Smith has been with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine since 1991, serving in various capacities including currently as a professor and previously as director of its aquatic medicine program. He received his doctor of veterinary medicine from Ohio State University and completed a PhD in veterinary medical services at North Carolina State University. His research interests include diseases of finfish, diseases of Alaskan fish, normal fish histology, and horseshoe crab diseases. His research has been published in various academic journals, and he's a member of organizations that include the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine and the Fish Health Section of the American Fisheries Society.

Methodology

The following criteria were used in compiling this list of Top Marine Veterinary Professors. Not all criteria below applied to each and every professor, but many of the listed professors may have:

  1. Undertaken in-depth research: Many of these professors have become involved in research or projects that have looked in depth at aquatic or marine animals, particularly as related to disease.

  2. Been published: Many of these professors have co-authored academic articles about research done in the marine or aquatic veterinary field.

  3. Highly educated: All of the professors on this list have received their doctor of veterinary medicine degrees with several of them also holding PhDs. This requires significant dedication to advancement as does their current interest in working in the academic and/or research field.

Barry Franklin (Co-Founder)

Before co-founding Sechel Ventures Partners LLC, Barry Franklin was a VP at a Silicon Valley software company. Currently, he is an investor and advisor for Impellia. Barry believes that education and lifelong learning are paramount. Barry met his wife at Carnegie Mellon University and they have two beautiful daughters. He also volunteers for various committees at his kids’ high school.