Externship Experience

Submitted by SAVMA Externship Grant Recipient Anna Schultz, Cornell University

During a rewarding 4-week externship with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), I had the opportunity to work closely with state wildlife veterinarians and gain firsthand experience in the diverse field of wildlife conservation. My time included learning about the capture and collaring of aoudad and mule deer in West Texas, part of a long-term effort to protect native bighorn sheep from habitat competition and disease transmission. I participated in alligator population management in East Texas, contributing to public safety efforts and veterinary research on surgical tracking techniques and thermoregulation. Throughout the externship, I deepened my understanding of wildlife disease surveillance and control, with a focus on diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease and Epizootic Bighorn Sheep Pneumonia. Additionally, I explored the important role regulated hunting plays in conservation through population management and funding from the Pittman-Robertson Act. This experience also highlighted the critical involvement of veterinarians in legislative advocacy and environmental policy. Overall, the externship provided a comprehensive and eye-opening view into the essential, multifaceted work of state wildlife veterinarians and their vital role in preserving ecosystem health and biodiversity. I am very thankful for this experience and the time I spent with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Dr. J Hunter Reed and Dr. Sarah Wyckoff.

Creative Corner

Submitted by Varun Seth, University of Illinois

Photography

Submitted by Jessica Wood, Michigan State Unversity

Cutest Pet

Submitted by Toyin Showemimo, Michigan State University

Externship Experience

Submitted by SAVMA Externship Grant Recipient Rachel Busselman, Texas A&M University

I had the opportunity to spend four weeks at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wisconsin as a Veterinary Student Extern in Wildlife Pathology during my fourth year of veterinary school. As someone interested in infectious diseases, wildlife, and wanting a career as a researcher in academia, this gave me the opportunity to interact with amazing scientists and learn more about government research careers. The veterinarians, scientists, and researchers at the USGS NWHC were incredibly welcoming and happy to share their expertise in their varied fields. As an extern, I performed necropsies on wild bird species and other wild animals under BSL3 conditions because of the risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). When I wasn’t on the necropsy floor, I reviewed histopathology slides from cases we had seen and prepared a presentation on HPAI in humans and dairy cattle. My externship was during January-February 2025, when the cases in dairy cows were still spreading across the country and associated human and bird cases were increasing. Additionally, my mentor arranged several meetings with center scientists studying virology, epidemiology, wildlife disease ecology, and veterinary pathology, where I learned about incredible research projects ongoing at the NWHC, including chytrid in amphibians, white nose syndrome in bats, growing HPAI in chicken eggs, a rabies vaccination in bats, and a plethora of other disease systems relevant to wildlife health. The staff at the center were incredibly welcoming and supportive of me as an extern and while I was in Madison, and I am so thankful for the experiences I had and connections I was able to make during this externship.