International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association 2026

Dr. Jane Smith has over 20 years of experience in cosmetic formulation and ingredient research.

Prof. Garcia leads WHO's efforts in combating infectious diseases worldwide.

Dr. Aisha Patel is a Research Fellow at Oxford, researching maternal and child health in low-resource settings.

A pioneering figure from a globally recognised AI research lab, providing a forward-looking perspective on foundational models, multi-modal AI, and emerging techniques like Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architectures.

Dr. Lopez leads AI research at Mayo Clinic, with a focus on predictive analytics for chronic disease management.

Dr. Maureen Murray is the Assistant Director of One Health at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute in Chicago. Before joining Lincoln Park Zoo in 2017, Dr. Murray received her PhD at the University of Alberta, focusing on urban …

Dr. Stan Gehrt is Professor of Wildlife Ecology at The Ohio State University, and previously Director of Wildlife Research at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, from which he has based much of his research in the Chicago area. He holds a BA …

Eyal Frank is an Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, an NBER Faculty Research Fellow, an CERP Research Affiliate, and an affiliated faculty at the Energy Policy Institute (EPIC) at the University of Chicago. His work studies questions as intersection of economics, ecology, and conservation policy, by drawing on natural experiments …

Heather holds a DVM, DABVP-Avian and a CertAqV and is currently the Chief Science Officer and Veterinarian at Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Juno Beach, Florida, USA. Her passionate advocacy for wildlife health began over 30 years ago with a residency in wildlife/special species medicine at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine, where she became a tenured Associate Professor. She gained international experience as Professor and Department Head of Clinical Medicine at St. Matthew's University, School of Veterinary Medicine in the Cayman Islands, where she was also the veterinarian for the Cayman Turtle Farm and Cayman Wildlife Rescue for five years. Returning to the US, Heather was the Medical & Research Director at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) in Florida for a decade before taking up her current position at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. She has been President of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Associate editor for the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery , a member of the AVMA House of Delegates, and Exam Chair for the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She is currently Chair of the WDA's Wildlife Veterinary Section. Her research interests focus on the intersection of wildlife, human and environmental health with numerous publications in this field.

Cody Malone recently completed his PhD in Veterinary Microbiology at the University of Saskatchewan under the supervision of Dr. Emily Jenkins. His doctoral research mapped the geographic distribution and host range of Trichinella chanchalensis across northern North America, using novel molecular and diagnostic tools to clarify the ecology of this newly described species. His work provides essential data for understanding foodborne parasite risks and supports public health and food safety in northern communities. Cody is now a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Calgary in Dr. John Gilleard's lab, where he continues to investigate Arctic parasites and their implications for wildlife health, ecosystem change, and northern food security. His research integrates field surveillance with genomic approaches to better characterize parasite diversity in northern ungulates. Cody is committed to collaborative, community‑engaged science that strengthens wildlife management and supports the health and resilience of northern ecosystems.

Dr. Stan Gehrt is Professor of Wildlife Ecology at The Ohio State University, and previously Director of Wildlife Research at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, from which he has based much of his research in the Chicago area. He holds a BA from Bethany College (KS), MS in Biology from Emporia State University, and received a PhD in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research program has focused on the ecology of mammals in a variety of systems, with a special emphasis on aspects of their urban ecology and human-wildlife relationships. In addition to over 100 scientific publications, his research has been featured in numerous print, radio, and television outlets. Dr. Gehrt is the senior editor of the volume 'Urban Carnivores', published by Johns Hopkins University Press, and author of 'Coyotes Among Us,' published by Flashpoint Press.

Dr. Maureen Murray is the Assistant Director of One Health at Lincoln Park Zoo's Urban Wildlife Institute in Chicago. Before joining Lincoln Park Zoo in 2017, Dr. Murray received her PhD at the University of Alberta, focusing on urban coyote health and conflict, and completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Georgia, focusing on the disease ecology of urban white ibises. Her research focuses on how urbanization affects the health of wildlife, people, and ecosystems in the context of human-wildlife interactions. Her goal is to use interdisciplinary applied research to engage with the public and inform policy to reduce negative human-wildlife interactions and support urban biodiversity while protecting public health.

María was born and grew up in Mexico City, where obtained her MVZ (DVM) degree. After completing a residence in anatomic pathology, she became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. María worked as a diagnostic wildlife pathologist for the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative while completing her PhD on the pathogenesis of ranavirus in a native North ...

Jessica Mateus is a veterinarian from La Salle University, with a master's degree and PhD from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She is currently a postdoctoral scholar at The Ohio State University and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. Her work focuses on infectious disease prevention and preparedness, particularly foreign and transboundary animal diseases. Jessica ...