Past Wildlife Veterinary Medicine Externs
Mandy Larson
Where are they now?
Small animal/exotic veterinary associate at All-Pets Hospital and part time veterinarian at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines
Claire Butkus
Where are they now?
Small animal and exotics internship at Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital, scheduled to complete the MPVM program at UC Davis in 2020
Highlight of your externship?
I had a lot of great experiences during my UCD-CDFW Veterinary Externship but my favorites were probably trapping fishers in the Sierras and assisting with radio-collaring a mountain lion cub in Soma, CA. I also really enjoyed the pathology work at the WIL and the marine center.
Mary Thurber
Where are they now?
3rd year zoological medicine resident through UC Davis and San Diego Zoo Global, preceded by a 1-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery at the University of Tennessee
Highlight of your externship?
I really enjoyed experiencing so many different aspects of wildlife medicine and getting a thorough understanding of what it means to be a wildlife veterinarian. Getting to spend several days in the Sierra Nevada Mountains collaring black-tailed deer was the highlight of my externship!
Megan Moriarty
Where are they now?
PhD candidate in epidemiology/graduate student researcher at UC Davis since 2016, preceded by MPVM program completion in 2013, small animal veterinarian in private practice until 2014 and staff research associate at the UC Davis Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care & Research Center until 2015
Highlight of your externship?
Talking with wildlife professionals about their career paths and spending time outdoors/in the field/with wildlife
Kathleen Carey
Where are they now?
Associate companion animal veterinarian in private practice in New England
Highlight of your externship?
Darting, tagging mule deer for population study in Sequoia National Forest
Jaime George
Where are they now?
Wildlife and Conservation Intern at Tufts Wildlife Clinic 2015-2016, Veterinarian at Peninsula Humane Society (open door shelter with exotics and wildlife departments) 2016-present
Highlight of your externship?
Being a part of meetings and research projects to get the spectrum of what is required to be a conservation veterinarian, even if it's data entry or project development. The field research was very exciting but getting to collaborate with so many different projects and teams was very enlightening. Every project requires different skills and groups of people.
Karen Alroy
Where are they now?
DVM/MPH from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine 2012, Small animal rotating internship at Friendship hospital for animals 2012-2013, AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship at National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology 2013-2015, Science Associate at NSF 2015-2016, Epidemiologist at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2016-2018, Epidemic Intelligence Service with CDC placement in NYC Department of Health 2018-2020 (starting in July 2018)
Highlight of your externship?
There were honestly so many highlights, including lead testing California condors in Pinnacles National Park, doing sea otter necropsies in Santa Cruz, and small mammal trapping in the Desolation Wilderness. From my work with Melissa Miller I became familiar with harmful algal blooms, co-authored a paper with her on the subject, and now serve as a member of the AVMA harmful algal bloom committee. I think it was my favorite externship (and I did some pretty excellent ones).