KEYNOTE SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT
OBE, BVetMed, DZooMed, MRCVS | SHE/HER/HERS
CCEEOO ooff TTwwyyccrroossss Dr. Redrobe has had a life‐long fascination with ZZoooo || EEaasstt MMiiddllaannddSS wildlife, and carries a strong belief that modern ZZoooollooggiiccaall SSoocciieettyy LLTTDD zoos must play a role in conservation, whilst remaining relevant and supported by the public.
22001155 BBuussiinneessss WWoommaann ooff In a rapidly changing world, she believes science‐ tthhee YYeeaarr || RReevviittaalliissee based solutions and public engagement are
essential for saving wildlife and the success of a 'One World’ future. To set this vision in motion, she 22001166 DDiirreeccttoorr ooff tthhee YYeeaarr || IInnssttiittuuttee ooff not only serves as Chair of Ape Action Africa, DDiirreeccttoorrss,, WWeesstt MMiiddllaannddss rescuing gorillas and chimpanzees, but she is also an Associate Professor at the University of
22001166 CChhaammbbeerr TTeeaamm ooff tthhee Nottingham, and the CEO of Twycross Zoo. YYeeaarr || EEaasstt MMiiddllaannddss
Since becoming Twycross' CEO in 2013, she has invigorated this traditional business by 22001177 IInnssppiirraattiioonnaall WWoommaann ooff tthhee YYeeaaRR || EEnntteerrpprriissiinngg transforming it into a conservation charity and WWoommeenn AAwwaarrddss,, EEaasstt launching an ambitious 20-year, £55 millon MMiiddllaannddss development plan. Said vision plan aims to make the Zoo an International Centre of Excellence for
22001199 AAmmbbaassssaaddoorr ffoorr ape conservation and science. WWoommEEnn ooff tthhee YYeeaarr
Her first five years as CEO have seen a 25% visitor
OOffffiicceerr ooff tthhee OOrrddeerr ooff number increase-- this translates to over 600,000 tthhee BBrriittiisshh EEmmppiirree ffoorr hheerr people a year, including over 62,000 school sseerrvviicceess ttoo SSkkiillllss,, SScciieennccee aanndd tthhee EEccoonnoommyy || tthhee children! This has transformed Twycross Zoo into QQuueeeenn’’ss 22001177 NNeeww YYeeaarr a conservation powerhouse, with millions of HHoonnoouurrss LLiisstt pounds poured into progressive, state-of-the-art animal habitats. Dr. Redrobe's newest ambition is to attract over 1 million annual visitors-- and this is well on the way to becoming a reality, with a further investment program in place for 2030. DVM, PhD, Dipl. ABVT | HE/HIM/HIS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Diplomate, American Board of Veterinary Toxicology | Professor Emeritus of Veterinary, Wildlife & Ecological Toxicology, Penn State University
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Beasley earned a DVM at Purdue and was a small animal practitioner for 6 years in New Jersey and Ohio. After a residency and Ph.D., he joined the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, where he taught many toxicology courses, and helped start the Animal Poison Control Center and a poisonous plants garden.
CCaarreeeerr Dr. Beasley has chaired the AVMA Committee on Environmental Issues, has been a member of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events Working Group, and has been a Fulbright Senior Research Scholar in Kenya. At Illinois SU, he was Chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Assistant Head of the Department of Comparative Biosciences. Then, at Penn State, he was Head of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and Professor of Veterinary, Wildlife, & Ecological Toxicology from 2014 to 2016.
EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Beasley has led research into fungal/plant/cyanobacterial toxins, into pesticides, and into amphibian declines, and has collaborated in studies of heavy metals in Arctic marine mammals. He has authored and co-authored over a hundred research articles, case reports, book chapters, and monographs. He has also helped with advancing concepts of ecosystem health and One Health, including in the National Academies Report, JAVMA, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, EcoHealth, and Beyond One Health. FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Beasley founded the Envirovet Program and its Summer Institutes, and collaborated with scientists of the Baltic Sea watershed to influence almost 500 veterinarians and environmental scientists from around the globe. He is currently finalizing a multi-author chapter on phycotoxins for the next edition of the Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology. VMD, MSc, Dipl. ACZM | HE/HIM/HIS
TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss Board-Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine, American College of Zoological Medicine | Head Veterinarian, Adventure Aquarium | Board of Directors, Marine Mammal Stranding Center
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss A native of Jersey City, Dr. DiGeronimo graduated from Drew University in Madison, NJ where he studied biology and anthropology. He then went on to graduate from PennVet in 2010, completing a Certificate of Veterinary Public Health at the same time. Afterwards, he spent 5 years in small animal and exotic pet practice. CCaarreeeerr Dr. DiGeronimo worked as a clinical instructor at PennVet for 3 years before taking his current role as a veterinarian for the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ and becoming a board-certified specialist in zoological medicine in 2020. He also works for the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, NJ, teaches undergraduate courses on zoo medicine, and continues to moonlight in exotic pet practice.
EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. DiGeronimo completed a master's in wildlife and ecosystem health through the University of Edinburgh. His dissertation was a health assessment of alligator snapping turtles as part of a conservation initiative. The same year, he completed a specialty internship in zoological medicine at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Zoo, and the Audubon Nature Institute.
FFoorr FFuunn Dr. DiGeronimo has co-authored over 30 publications and is currently studying topics in elephant, sloth, seal, and elasmobranch health and conservation. DVM | SHE/HER/HERS
TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Attending Veterinarian, Chimp Haven Director of Veterinary Care | Veterinary Clinical Care Provider, Animal Resources Department, Louisiana State University.
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Jackson-Jewett received her Bachelor’s degree in Animal and Poultry Science from Tuskegee University. She then earned a veterinary degree from Tuskegee University in 2009.
CCaarreeeerr Dr. Jackson-Jewett currently serves as the Director of Veterinary Care/Attending Veterinarian at the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary, Chimp Haven, where she is responsible for the medical care of over 300 chimpanzees. Her veterinary clinical support also expands to the Animal Resources Department at Louisiana State University.
EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Jackson-Jewett has several years of experience working with and studying nonhuman primates in various settings, laboratory to zoological. She completed a postdoctoral bio-behavioral research internship at the Mannheimer Foundation, where she conducted studies on the mother-infant relationship and its correlation with chronic idiopathic colitis in captive rhesus macaques.
FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Jackson-Jewett has been featured in Forbes Women, DVM360 Magazine, Veterinary Practice News, The Riveter, Diversity In Action, The Muse, Subculture Magazine, The Tamron Hall Show, and the Disney+ series Meet the Chimps. Her family includes her husband, Johnathan Jewett Sr., five children, and Pebbles, the rescued cat. DVM | SHE/HER/HERS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Associate Veterinarian, California Academy of Sciences | Veterinary Advisor, Common Squirrel Monkey Species Survival Plan (SSP)
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Krol immigrated from Ukraine in 1989 and grew up in California. She first studied marine biology at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she became interested in exotic animal veterinary medicine. She later became a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, where she tracked in zoo medicine.
CCaarreeeerr After graduating from veterinary school, Dr. Krol completed a one year internship at the Los Angeles Zoo. She moved on to work as a clinical veterinarian at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Discovery Kingdom, and then at the San Francisco Zoo. More recently, she joined the veterinary team at the Steinhart Aquarium, located at the California Academy of Sciences, as an associate veterinarian.
EExxppeerrttiissee As a clinical veterinarian with experience in both terrestrial and aquatic animal species, Dr. Krol has authored and co-authored literature on various exotic animal topics. And, as a younger vet who has been out of school for less than a decade, she frequently speaks to students about logistical aspects of the profession, including getting into veterinary school, how to succeed in the zoo medicine field, and the reality of student loans.
FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Krol lives in San Francisco with her family, pets, and 138,034 houseplants. When she's able to, she practices as a local E.R. relief veterinarian, because she loves working with pets and misses being able to touch patients without anesthetizing them all the time! VMD | HE/HIM/HIS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Fellow in Comparative Pathology, PennVet | Teaching Assistant of the Comparative Pathology Core, Department of Pathobiology, PennVet
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Lanza grew up in rural Pennsylvania and moved to Philadelphia in 2007 to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a BA in Biological Basis of Behavior (now renamed Neuroscience).
CCaarreeeerr After college, he spent two years in neuroradiology research, working with children with autism and schizophrenia at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He then attended PennVet, and after receiving his VMD in 2017, stayed to begin his residency in Anatomic Pathology. He currently works as a Fellow in Comparative Pathology.
EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Lanza's areas of academic interest include neoplasia, neuroscience, and comparative pathology. Outside of work, he is an advisor to a few undergraduate community service groups at Penn and Drexel and is an adjunct professor in biology at the University of the Sciences.
FFoorr FFuunn In his spare time, Dr. Lanza enjoys cooking, baking, playing the violin, hiking, writing, and quality Netflix time on the couch with his girlfriend and two cats. DVM | SHE/HER/HERS
TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, UPenn | Senior Research Investigator, Wildlife Futures Program, UPenn
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Miller holds a BS in Zoology and a DVM from Oklahoma State University. She worked full-time as a wildlife rehabilitation veterinarian for 25 years, and has been on staff at 3 veterinary schools: Oklahoma State University, North Carolina State University & PennVet. She left wildlife rehabilitation in 2013 to explore other areas of veterinary medicine. CCaarreeeerr Over the years, Dr. Miller has worked as a wildlife veterinarian for the NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife (NJ F&W), as the lead veterinarian at the Brandywine zoo, as a laboratory aid in the NJ Rabies Lab, and as a wildlife veterinarian for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. She currently serves as an adjunct associate professor in wildlife medicine and as a Senior Research Investigator at UPenn.
EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Miller regularly volunteers at Mercer County Wildlife Center and Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research. Dr. Miller also serves on the Endangered and Non-game Species Advisory Committee to the NJ F&W, on the NJ Wildlife Rehabilitators Advisory Committee, on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, on the Delaware Kestrel Program, on the veterinary team for Project SNOWstorm, and as a response veterinarian for Delaware Animal Rescue. FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Miller has worked as an editor on three book projects. She currently lives in both Pennsylvania and Delaware, and is married to a great guitar player, singer, and A/V whiz, John Frink. They share their home with a dog named Echo (echo...). PhD | SHE/HER/HERS
TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss Mainwaring Teaching Specialist in Zooarchaeology, Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Material | Practice Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania Museum.
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Moore grew up down the road from the University of Delaware's Agricultural School dairy barn. She first studied the remains of animals from archaeological sites as an undergraduate at Washington University, St. Louis, and eventually earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1989.
CCaarreeeerr Over the years, Dr. Moore has worked at Harvard University, Bentley Universit,y and the University of Pennsylvania. She has watched the study of zooarchaelogy become a scientific discipline while studying human prey animals, domesticated animals, and early herd animals.
EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Moore currently teaches in the Department of Anthropology at UPenn and helps students work on animal remains at sites in Philadelphia, and elsewhere around the globe. Her most intensive work has been on the archaeology of the domestication of llamas and alpacas in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru.
FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Moore is especially interested in the archaeology of domestic behavior, animal husbandry, and veterinary care, which she studies using traces left on teeth, bones, and even preserved fibers from textiles! She is excited to meet new students and the other presenters during Zoo and Exotics Day. PhD | HE/HIM/HIS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Assistant Professor of Veterinary Gross Anatomy, PennVet | Research Associate, Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Nabavizadeh earned a BS degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Kansas in 2009, and the earned a PhD in Functional Anatomy and Evolution at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2014.
CCaarreeeerr Dr. Nabavizadeh moved on to become a postdoctoral scholar for two years, teaching human anatomy at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. Afterwards, he became an assistant professor of human anatomy at the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University for four years, before his transition to veterinary anatomy at PennVet. EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Nabavizadeh's research focuses on the comparative anatomy and evolution of herbivorous dinosaurs; specifically, their cranial musculature and the functional morphology of their feeding mechanisms. He has also expanded his studies to other large herbivorous vertebrates, including dicynodonts, and proboscideans--like elephants. FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Nabavizadeh loves helping with outreach activities to teach the general public about comparative anatomy and paleontology. He is currently authoring a book on dinosaur feeding biology, with plans to write more books on zoological anatomy in the future. DVM, PhD, CWR | SHE/HER/HERS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Founder, Belize Wildlife Conservation Network | Director and Head Veterinarian, Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Dr. Paquet-Durand is a French national whose involvement in wildlife medicine, conservation and rehabilitation started when she was a veterinary intern Costa Rica. There, rehabilitating margays and ocelots rescued from illegal trafficking rings got her hooked to the field. She went on to graduate from the Hannover Veterinary School in Germany, and then moved to Costa Rica to pursue a PhD in Parasitology, Molecular Biology and Tropical Epidemiology. CCaarreeeerr After years of volunteer work across Latin America, Dr. Paquet-Durand settled in Belize in 2003. She founded the Belize Wildlife Conservation Network in 2009, and the Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic in 2012, where she currently works as a director and veterinarian. Dr. Paquet-Durand has worked in many rescue centers, sanctuaries and zoos, seeing avian, mammal and reptile patients. EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Paquet-Durand's research interests generally veer towards parasitology, wildlife medicine and conservation, but her main loves in the field are scarlet macaws and Central American river turtles. She also enjoys education, having been a lecturer for different institutions, and currently teaching future wildlife professionals. She has also worked as a consultant internationally, and holds several organizational board positions. FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Paquet-Durand has personally taught and worked with two of the Special Species Club's board members, Isabella and Josie, in Belize's Wild Spring Break program! When not working, she loves to enjoy the outdoors, regularly doing activities such hiking, caving, kayaking, gardening and running (half) marathons. WI | HE/HIM/HIS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Wildlife Inspector, US Fish & Wildlife Service
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss Mr. Sahakian grew up in Rockville, Maryland, right outside of Washington DC. Much of his youth was spent enjoying the outdoors, where he loved to flip logs over in search of “pet” toads to bring into the house. This appreciation of the outdoors stuck, as he went on to attend the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) to pursue a degree in Environmental Science. CCaarreeeerr While in school, Mr. Sahakian worked as a pathways student with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US F&WS). In addition, he was a Visitors Services Ranger at Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland, where he led environmental education sessions for school groups and gave interpretive tours.
EExxppeerrttiissee After graduating, Mr. Sahakian moved to Virginia to work as a Visitor Services Ranger at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Park. Besides focusing on interoperation and education, he conducted waterfowl surveys and duck banding. He eventually moved to New Jersey to join the US F&WS's Office of Law Enforcement as a Wildlife Inspector, where he currently regulates international trade.
FFoorr FFuunn In his free time, Mr. Sahakian can be found outside fishing, hiking, rock climbing or eating ice cream. DVM | SHE/HER/HERS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss
Founder, Sea Change Health | Fellow, TED Conferences LLC
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss A graduate of Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Simeone completed a rotating small animal internship with the Veterinary Specialty Hospital, followed by an aquatics internship with the National Marine Mammal Foundation and SeaWorld in San Diego. CCaarreeeerr Dr. Simeone has worked with the National Marine Fisheries Service, investigating unusual marine mortality events, and consulted for seven years at The Marine Mammal Center as a conservation medicine veterinarian. She was also the director of The Marine Mammal Center’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation Program. EExxppeerrttiissee Dr. Simeone is the founder of Sea Change Health, dedicated to safeguarding ocean health for all who rely on it. Her life's work underscores the connection between humans and animals, and how our survival relies on a return to listening to what wisdom the natural world has to share.
FFoorr FFuunn Dr. Simeone was the first veterinarian ever selected as a TED Fellow, has authored more than a dozen scientific articles and five book chapters on marine mammal health and medicine, and is a seasoned public speaker. PhD | HE/HIM/HIS TTiittlleess && PPoossiittiioonnss Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Wilkes University | Board Member, Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society | Chair, Conservation Committee of the Wilson Ornithological Committee | Member, American Ornithologists Union.
BBeeggiinnnniinnggss A native of New Jersey, Dr. Stratford studied Biology at Rutgers University, where he discovered his love for avian ecology. Later, he moved to Louisiana to earn a Master’s in Science at Southeastern Louisiana University. Afterwards, he continued his education at Auburn University in Georgia, where he studied urbanization effects on bird communities in the southeastern US, and eventually earned his Ph.D. in Zoology and Wildlife.
CCaarreeeerr Dr. Stratford is currently an Associate Professor in Biology and an Associate Dean of the Science and Engineering program at Wilkes University. He teaches various classes, including ecology and biostatistics-based courses. He also has ties to the Greater Wyoming Valley Audubon Society, the Conservation Committee of the Wilson Ornithological Committee, and the American Ornithologists Union. EExxppeerrttiissee As an avid researcher, Dr. Stratford’s main interests are in ecology and avian research, in which he takes pride in running an inclusive and supportive undergraduate research lab. He has recently co-published the paper, “Put some muscle behind it: Understanding movement capacity of tropical birds”. Currently, Dr. Stratford is studying the effects of fire on ecological communities.
FFoorr FFuunn
In his free time, Dr. Stratford loves to have a nice glass of scotch and to play with his dog, Rosie.