Winter 2022-23
Cornell veterinarian, technician, student treating pelican
Dear Friends of the Cornell Wildlife Health Center,

I’m very excited to share that the Cornell Wildlife Health Center has just launched a new Student Support Fund that will provide valuable opportunities for Cornell veterinary students passionate about wildlife to apply what they’re learning in the classroom in the real world. Read the press release here: Cornell Wildlife Health Center Starts New Fund to Get More Students into the Wild.

The planet’s biodiversity remains underserved by veterinarians and other health and conservation professionals who can meet the rising tide of One Health challenges. This fund is modeled after the highly successful Cornell Expanding Horizons Program, which funds DVM students to apprentice and/or carry-out research with veterinary mentors in developing countries.

Our new fund will support students seeking to participate in equally valuable training opportunities outside of those countries, including here in the U.S., so that they can work with, for example, state or national wildlife agencies, wildlife rehabilitation centers, zoological institutions, aquariums, and beyond. We’ll also provide travel stipends for students to present research findings at professional conferences and thus expand their networks of One Health colleagues. Finally, funding will be available for mentored wildlife health research on campus.

We could not have launched this fund without your support. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating this life-changing program, and if you would like to learn more or help sustain this fund into the future, please reach out to me.
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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Read our latest blog by Cornell Master’s student Trishna Rayamajhi, a Fulbright scholar researching dholes, one of the most endangered yet least studied carnivores in the world. Trishna aspires to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors to safeguard nature through her conservation work in Nepal and by helping to train the next generation of female wildlife researchers and technicians.
From the forests and waters of New York State to the wilds of southern Africa, the Cornell Wildlife Health Center is working to heal the natural world by uniting Cornell’s leading wildlife health professionals under a common mission: to repair the fractured relationship between people and nature.
Hellbender
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A study led by Cornell researchers found that white-tailed deer – the most abundant large mammal in North America at over 30 million animals – are harboring SARS-CoV-2 variants that once widely circulated but are no longer found in humans.
White-tailed deer
A hammer-head shark swimming
Led by Cornell's Dr. Michael Stanhope, a team of scientists has sequenced genomes of the great hammerhead shark and shortfin mako shark, both endangered species— answering important questions about their evolutionary pasts, and potential futures.
Preserving and restoring natural habitats could prevent pathogens that originate in wildlife from spilling over into domesticated animals and humans, according to two new companion studies.
Two bats hanging upside down in a tree
Bats roosting in a tree
Cornell disease ecologist Raina Plowright advises us to pay attention to bat habitat and to keep bats well-fed and healthy in order to reduce the risk of bat-borne viruses passing from animals into humans.
Cornell Animal Science major Genesis Contreras ’24 needed her service dog to keep her safe while working with the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, but Nugget, a 4-year-old beagle, needed to be safe as well. A team across Cornell found a solution: "doggles."
Cornell Animal Science major Genesis Contreras ’24 with her service dog
Welcome to new CVM faculty member Dr. Jennifer Bloodgood, a wildlife veterinarian and biologist with a special interest in marine mammals as well as the health of free-ranging terrestrial wildlife, pathology, infectious disease epidemiology, and the interface of human and wildlife health.
Stories from Faculty, Alumni, and Students
Enjoy this Moment of Bliss from Chobe National Park, Botswana, courtesy of Dr. Steve Osofsky
Save the Date: Cornell Giving Day is Thursday, March 16!
Cornell Giving Day logo
On Cornell Giving Day, alumni, friends, and supporters all over the world come together to make a difference. Our critical wildlife conservation work is completely dependent upon funding we're able to raise. Will you consider making a gift or signing up as a fundraiser for the Cornell Wildlife Health Center this year? Your support literally means the world to us.
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!
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.

To learn more about the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, please contact Dr. Steve Osofsky at s.osofsky@cornell.edu or visit our website.

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.
Cornell Wildlife Health Center | wildlife.cornell.edu | s.osofsky@cornell.edu