Maris is the President of WDA CANUSA. She is a DVM/PhD student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Maris completed her PhD in the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, where she studied pathogen dynamics and management strategies for confiscated trafficked eastern box turtles. Maris is now a second-year veterinary student, working to complete the DVM portion of her program. Her current research focuses on management strategies for white-tailed deer with chronic wasting disease in Illinois. She hopes to work in conservation as a wildlife professional! 

Erica is the President-Elect and Member at Large for WDA CANUSA. Erica is a PhD candidate with the Kutz Research Group at the University of Calgary. Her work is in partnership with Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic, united by a shared concern for muskox health. As both a hunter and someone who cares about wildlife health, Erica contributes to this research by investigating the severe dental abnormalities affecting some declining muskox populations. Alongside my research, Erica has been part of the CANUSA executive team since the initial launch in 2023. 

Rebecca DVM, DACVP, is the Treasurer of WDA CANUSA. Rebecca is a current PhD student in Integrative Pathobiology at The One Health Institute, housed at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Rebecca received her bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware and continued to veterinary school at UC Davis. After veterinary school, Rebecca completed an anatomic pathology residency with a specific emphasis in wildlife pathology at the University of Georgia's Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, where she further honed her knowledge base in disease surveillance and the health of North American wildlife. For her PhD, Rebeca studies the role wildlife plays in the maintenance of Bunyaviruses, including hantavirus and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus. Beyond laboratory analysis, she works hands-on with small mammals in the California Sierras and rodents, hares, and ground-feeding birds in eastern Africa. 

Morgan is the Secretary and Member at Large of WDA CANUSA. Morgan completed her M.S. in Entomology and Nematology at the University of Florida, where she worked with incriminating vectors of deer malaria. She is interested in studying vector-borne diseases and zoonotic diseases and is pursuing a dual DVM/PhD in wildlife ecology.  

Nicholas is serving as the Communications Chair and Member at Large for WDA CANUSA. Nick is a graduating MS student in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, planning on completing his thesis in December, which will provide the first documentation and characterization of Tick-borne Relapsing Fever Borrelia in Florida's soft ticks. During his time at UF, Nick served as the social media chair and treasurer of our WDA student chapter, and had the privilege of serving as the chapter's president for two years.

Sam is the Social Media Manager of WDA CANUSA. Sam is a veterinarian and PhD student at the University of Guelph studying highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Sam graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2023, but has always loved epidemiology and disease ecology - so she came back for another degree! In her spare time, she enjoys birding, fishing, and hiking. Sam is passionate about scientific communication and continues to work part-time in a small animal practice. 

Shayna is serving as the Workshop Planning Chair for WDA CANUSA. Shayna is a DVM student at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science and sustainable development from Columbia University and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California. Shayna aspires to be a leader in the field of One Health. She seeks to blend social sciences with veterinary medicine by working at the intersection of clinical medicine, epidemiology, conservation, and public health. 

Jason is a Member at Large for WDA CANUSA. Jason is a master's student in disease ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Jason is studying sylvatic plague and vector movement in Badlands National Park. Before his graduate studies, Jason worked for 4 years for the US Geological Survey, leading a plague project across South Dakota and Northern California. Jason graduated from Montana State University in 2022, and a majority of his research has focused on the plague. He also has experience conducting ecological research with peregrine falcons, beavers, and penguins.

Louise is a Member at Large for WDA CANUSA and has served as Secretary in the past. Louise is currently a fourth-year DVM/MS student at Oregon State University. Her master's research focuses on body scoring techniques in Steller and California sea lions. Before starting veterinary school, Louise worked as a wildlife and ecology field technician for six years, primarily in the Alaskan Arctic, on projects ranging from botany surveys to wolverine tracking. Louise hopes to work as a free-ranging wildlife veterinarian after graduation next year. 

Shelli is the Faculty Advisor for WDA CANUSA. Shelli Dubay is a professor of Wildlife in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Shelli has experience with state wildlife agencies, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Shelli began at UWSP in 2005 and has taught courses including Wildlife Diseases, Wildlife Techniques, Introduction to Fisheries and Wildlife, Forestry and Wildlife, Captive Wildlife Techniques, and Captive Wildlife Management. She is a wildlife ecologist interested in disease epizootiology and physiological ecology. Shelli has been fascinated by mortality and diseases in free-ranging Wildlife, and working with Wildlife in a Lyme Disease lab as an undergraduate reinforced her interest in wildlife health.