FLORIDA MARINE MAMMAL
HEALTH CONFERENCE III

April 22 – 25, 2008

The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience l Marineland, Florida
St. Augustine Beach, Florida

Program Committee Biographies

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Scott Kraus
Director of Research/Senior Scientist, New England Aquarium, Boston, MA

 Scott Kraus is the Vice President for Research at the New England Aquarium. Kraus received his B.A. from College of the Atlantic, his M.S. in biology from the University of Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire. He produced both the first North Atlantic humpback whale catalog and the first North Atlantic right whale catalog, research publications that utilize individually distinctive markings on animals to track life history. His early research focused on expanding the application of individual photo-identification studies into population biology.

Dr Kraus has led a continuous research program on North Atlantic right whales since 1980, publishing numerous papers on many aspects of right whale biology and conservation. He was a member of the original U.S. right whale recovery team, and currently serves on the U.S. harbor porpoise take reduction team and the U.S. large whale take reduction team. He has published over 60 scientific papers on bycatch reduction, cetacean biology, and marine mammal conservation, and is adjunct faculty at Univ. of Mass. at Boston and the University of Southern Maine. Kraus’ recent research is increasingly focused on conservation issues faced by endangered species and habitats, and the difficulties of identifying what animals need to survive in an increasingly urban ocean.

Index of Biographies

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Peter McGuire
 Associate Professor, University of Florida, College of Medicine,
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Professor Peter McGuire received his Ph.D. in 1970 at the University of North Carolina for research with Gordon Sharp on the influence of host cell passage on Vaccinia virus infectivity. He then carried out postdoctoral research at Yale on mammalian RNA biogenesis using adenovirus as a model system. Since his appointment as a UF faculty member in 1975, Dr. McGuire's work has focused on protein-nucleic acid interactions and mRNA synthesis.


Index of Biographies

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Hendrik Nollens, DVM, MSc
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine,
Small Animal Clinical Sciences

Dr. Hendrik Nollens is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Florida. He oversees a disease investigations lab, in collaboration with SeaWorld San Diego, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute and the Navy's Marine Mammal Program. His research focuses on viral diseases of pinnipeds and cetaceans and on the immune management of neonate bottlenose dolphins.



 


Index of Biographies

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Roger Reep
 Professor, University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Physiological Sciences, Gainesville, FL

Roger Reep’s research interests include brain-behavior relationships in manatees (with a focus on tactile acuity), manatee bone mechanics, and neural circuitry involved in directed attention in rats. His teaching interests include Embryology, Histology, and Brain Evolution. Roger has been with the UF Department of Physiological Sciences since 1984. Reep was lead organizer of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Florida Marine Mammal Health Conferences held in Gainesville, Florida and has made numerous presentations to veterinary students attending the SeaVet training program. Reep serves as a member of the editorial board for Brain, Behavior and Evolution, and works to instill his love of science in elementary and middle school students with detailed presentations and hands-on demonstrations.
 

Index of Biographies

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Pat Rose
Director of Government Relations - Save the Manatee Club, Tallahassee, Florida

Pat Rose is Director of Government Relations for the Save the Manatee Club where he is responsible for governmental coordination regarding federal and state legislative, executive, and regulatory actions; including advocacy, overall recovery planning and aquatic ecosystem management/habitat activities. Prior to this position, Rose served as the Environmental Program Administrator, Bureau of Protected Species Management, Division of Marine Resources, Department of Environmental Protection - Tallahassee, Florida where he was responsible for all aspects of marine mammal management activities with emphasis on endangered manatees and right whales. Specific emphasis was given to the integration of ecosystem based management practices. Areas of involvement included overseeing biological assessments for permits and leases, rules development and legal defense, current and long-range planning, and GIS applications. Rose also oversaw the Save the Manatee Trust Fund expenditures and legislative budget preparation for research and management programs, totaling over $3,000,000.00 annually, and also provided policy guidance and direction for Florida's statewide recovery efforts for endangered and protected marine species.

Index of Biographies

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Michael T. Walsh, DVM, M.S., DACZM
 Clinical Associate Professor and Associate Director of Aquatic Animal Health, University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department in Gainesville, FL.
Michael Walsh has spent most of his professional life working in aquaculture and fish medicine. He has a strong interest in preventive health care for fish with emphasis on water quality and nutritional management, and a special interest in reef fish, particularly Acanthurids (surgeonfish).

Walsh came to UF from the Director of Veterinary Services post at SeaWorld Adventure Park Orlando where he was responsible for the maintenance of a mixed marine mammal species group, avian species, fish and sharks; clinical research promoting the accumulation and publication of data related to the advancement of animal health. Duties include the development of preventative medicine principle for the collection and integration of veterinary staff into team management. Walsh also served as the Veterinarian at Cypress Gardens and provided veterinary services to Cypress Gardens Zoological section consisting of exotic mammals, birds, and reptile collection. Formerly a Columnist on pet health with the Sunday Edition/Sanford Herald in Sanford, Florida, Walsh also provided relief veterinary work in the Orlando area.

Index of Biographies

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