There is a critical shortage of veterinary pathologists in the specialty area of wildlife disease. To address this problem, the Department of Pathology and Disease Investigation offers post-doctoral training in pathology through annually alternating opportunities for either third-year residents or pathology fellowships. The principal aim of these programs is to build a cadre of experts with the technical skills, knowledge base, and experience required to cultivate successful careers as anatomic veterinary pathologists focused on the diseases of domestic animals, zoo animals and wildlife. Providing this training will allow WCS to remain at the forefront of zoo and wildlife pathology training.

The residency part of the training program in domestic and zoo animals and wildlife is a three-year collaborative endeavor between WCS and Cornell University. The first two years of this training program are spent on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and the third and final year is spent at the Bronx Zoo, with one resident coming to the Bronx Zoo every other year. The program is designed to prepare the resident for eligibility and certification as a pathologist by the American College of Veterinary Pathology. The fellowship part of the program is conducted on the alternate years and consists of one year of post-doctoral fellowship training for a qualified veterinarian with existing pathology training to enable them to enhance and further develop their skills in comparative veterinary pathology with an emphasis on the diseases of domestic animals, zoo animals, and wildlife. Both programs are designed to prepare pathologists for a career focused on zoo and/or wildlife pathology.

PRIMARY CONTACTS: 

Wildlife Conservation Society Contact: Dr. D. McAloose, Department of Pathology, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10460, email: dmcaloose@wcs.org 

Cornell Contact: Dr. Donald Schlafer, T6-020 VRT, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Tower Road,  Ithaca, New York 14853-6401, telephone (607) 253-3352, e-mail dhs2@cornell.edu 

Thumbnail photo credit of Russian pathologists training at the Bronx Zoo: Julie Larsen Maher, WCS

Banner photo credit of Dr D McAloose: Endangered Primate Rescue Centre, Vietnam