Dear Friends of the Cornell Wildlife Health Center,
Over a career underpinned by a reverence for nature and buffeted by unprecedented environmental crises, I've come to a fundamental realization: securing a future for wildlife fundamentally depends upon the strength and resilience of our connections with each other. This edition of our newsletter celebrates the rich tapestry of experiences among our faculty, staff, students, and alumni—an entire Cornell community tirelessly dedicated to collaborating with local partners worldwide, all united in the mission to secure a future for wildlife and wild places. Across the Americas and on to Africa and Asia— our collective reach increasingly spans the globe.
Just this past summer, Cornell veterinary students immersed themselves in a remarkable range of conservation efforts, working to protect the health of gorillas, cheetahs, sloths, dholes, sea turtles, hornbills, vultures—and more. I invite you to explore the compelling stories below and delve deeper into the world of our exceptional community of leaders and learners, and to better get to know the biodiversity we are all striving to protect. We truly need nature, and nature needs us now more than ever.
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Yours in One Health,
Steve
Steve Osofsky, DVM
Director, Cornell Wildlife Health Center
Jay Hyman Professor of Wildlife Health & Health Policy
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
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Check out this reel by Cornell veterinary student Carolina Baquerizo, DVM ‘24, who came across this gorilla family while working with Conservation Through Public Health, one of our treasured NGO partners, in and around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to assess the presence of Salmonella in gorillas, livestock and people. Read Carolina’s blog post here. | |
Veterinarians as Custodians of Coral Reefs
Hery Ríos-Guzmán, DVM ‘24, worked on coral health this past summer, and describes how veterinarians can help coral reefs overcome a range of threats.
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Treating Wildlife in Costa Rica
Sophie Turner, DVM ’25, spent a summer with the Jaguar Rescue Center in Costa Rica to help provide medical treatment for electrocuted sloths, wounded opossums, and confiscated sea turtles.
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Alumni Spotlight: Tatiana Weisbrod, DVM ‘17, University of Florida
Cornell alum Dr. Tatiana Weisbrod once thought medical school was in her future, until she found the Cornell AQUAVET® program, which changed the trajectory of her career.
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Dr. Martin Gilbert, our wild carnivore health specialist, reflects on his decades-long research into canine distemper virus in endangered wild tigers, from the Russian Far East to Southeast Asia, and the valuable partnerships he has developed to help implement disease surveillance systems to monitor wild tiger health. | |
One Health in Nepal - Why Dogs Count!
Laura Bernert ’23, DVM '27, conducted a census of free-roaming dogs near Nepal's Chitwan National Park, where diseases can spread between domestic dogs and wildlife.
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Conservation Medicine in the Philippines
Ashley Broderick, DVM ’26, conducted field surveys and a wildlife health research project on endangered hornbill species to help aid veterinarians who care for hornbills worldwide.
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Pastures in the Pamirs
Cornell alum Daniel Foley, DVM '21, traveled to Tajikistan to assess the risks around disease spillover between livestock and the wild species that share the same pastures in the Pamir Mountains.
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We're excited to welcome Dr. Maggie Swift as a Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Swift will be using existing data from radio-collared elephants and other species and advanced computer modeling to evaluate optimal scenarios for integrative, sustainable land-use management. | |
Cornell's Dr. Martin Gilbert was interviewed for a podcast about his journey into vulture conservation and ecology in Asia and Africa, and his meticulous biomedical detective work that revealed the cause of a crash of South Asia’s vulture population—helping to reverse a dire situation in the nick of time. | |
Will you partner with us to secure a healthy future for wildlife, people and planet? | |
Our critical wildlife conservation work is completely dependent upon funding we're able to raise. Will you consider making a gift to the Cornell Wildlife Health Center?
Your support literally means the world to us.
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Did you know there are many other ways to give? | |
- Make a gift of securities, including stocks, bonds, or mutual funds
- Make a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA
- Name us as a beneficiary of your estate or trust
- Donate through your donor-advised fund
- Set-up a gift annuity
Please consider supporting the Cornell Wildlife Health Center by giving online or contacting Alison Smith at 607-254-6129 or ars1@cornell.edu. Naming opportunities can also be explored. Thank you!
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The Cornell Wildlife Health Center transforms science into impact through discovery, education, engagement, and policy to ensure a healthy future for wildlife and the environment that supports us all.
Let us know if you have any comments on this e-newsletter, and forward to a friend if you find it useful! Thank you for your support.
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