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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventure here on the Zoo’s website!
Last week, interns visited the Zoo’s Wildlife Disease Laboratories and got the chance to meet Veterinary Pathologist Fellows Dr. Megan McCarthy and Dr. Set Sokol, and Pathology Resident Dr. Adam Michel. Dr. McCarthy describes Pathology as the branch of veterinary medicine that studies the “essential nature” of a disease, or the study of changes that occur in the body as a result of a disease or pathogen. These lucky individuals are the detectives of the Zoo, utilizing their skills to solve the mystery of how an animal died. The pathologists at the Wildlife Disease Laboratories not only get the opportunity to work with the animals at the Zoo, they also work with the native species that live in the Zoo. This could be fish inhabiting a pond in an exhibit, or a wild crow that died on Zoo grounds.
Their first step is to look at the clinical history, such as eating and behavior, and blood work of the animal. Next, they complete a necropsy, or an autopsy for animals to provide insight into the potential cause of death. For some cases, the cause of death is obvious, such as worms in the intestines or an obstruction in the animal’s airway. Sometimes, they will even use smell to differentiate between potential ailments! In other cases, however, the cause of death cannot be determined through observation alone. For example, white spots on the liver could signify cancer, a bacterial infection or just dead tissue. After the necropsy, their final step is to send a sample to the histopathology lab. There, the samples are prepared on a glass slide and then stained to highlight certain cell types or infectious agents in the tissue. The glass slides are sent back to Dr. McCarthy to inspect and analyze under a microscope; her favorite part of her job. The final step is to consider all the evidence and deduce the cause of death.
Despite her passion for her job, Dr. McCarthy did not always dream of being a Zoological Pathologist. Originally, Dr. McCarthy graduated from Yale with an Economics degree. However, during her years at Yale, she took an internship with her professor, a macroeconomist. At that time, he was working on the Kyoto Climate Change Project, an international protocol designed to limit pollution. Dr. McCarthy worked with her professor to build a huge mathematical model for the project. This internship, along with a job in finance, helped her realize that she was not at all interested in a career in economics.
It wasn’t until after her “wandering years”, as Dr. McCarthy likes to refer to them, that she realized her passion for veterinary pathology. After she graduated from Yale, she spent a couple of years traveling, working on farms and bartending. It was working on the farms with the animals that drew her toward a career in veterinary medicine. Dr. McCarthy enrolled in North Carolina State University for vet school and then went to UC Davis to complete her residency. After finishing her residency, she got a job at the San Diego Zoo as a fellow. Dr. McCarthy completed the last major test to becoming a veterinary pathologist by passing the boards, after close to 11 years of hard in school and at the Zoo.
Similarly, neither Dr. Michel nor Dr. Sokol thought they would grow up to be Veterinary Pathologists. Dr. Sokol discovered his passion for pathology when he took a job with a human clinical pathology lab. Additionally, Dr. Michel took a different path. While attending McGill University in Canada, he worked summer research jobs relating to conservation. Later he took jobs working on projects with porcupines and migratory birds. These jobs led him to specialize in veterinary pathology.
Although it may not have been what they imagined when they thought about what they would be when they were older, Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Sokol, and Dr. Michel all love their jobs. If you are interested in a career in Veterinary Pathology, Dr. McCarthy recommends general undergraduate education, such as a biology or animal science major. This will cover your prerequisite science and math requirements while still exposing you to a variety of interesting classes. She also reminds you that Zoos are not the only option for a veterinary pathologist. Veterinary pathologists can find jobs in almost any field, from education and academia to industry and research. However, Dr. McCarthy does believe that the Zoo’s work in habitat and population conservation makes it all the more meaningful.
Sara, Career Team
Week Four, Fall Session 2016
Last week, interns visited the Zoo’s Wildlife Disease Laboratories and got the chance to meet Veterinary Pathologist Fellows Dr. Megan McCarthy and Dr. Set Sokol, and Pathology Resident Dr. Adam Michel. Dr. McCarthy describes Pathology as the branch of veterinary medicine that studies the “essential nature” of a disease, or the study of changes that occur in the body as a result of a disease or pathogen. These lucky individuals are the detectives of the Zoo, utilizing their skills to solve the mystery of how an animal died. The pathologists at the Wildlife Disease Laboratories not only get the opportunity to work with the animals at the Zoo, they also work with the native species that live in the Zoo. This could be fish inhabiting a pond in an exhibit, or a wild crow that died on Zoo grounds.
Their first step is to look at the clinical history, such as eating and behavior, and blood work of the animal. Next, they complete a necropsy, or an autopsy for animals to provide insight into the potential cause of death. For some cases, the cause of death is obvious, such as worms in the intestines or an obstruction in the animal’s airway. Sometimes, they will even use smell to differentiate between potential ailments! In other cases, however, the cause of death cannot be determined through observation alone. For example, white spots on the liver could signify cancer, a bacterial infection or just dead tissue. After the necropsy, their final step is to send a sample to the histopathology lab. There, the samples are prepared on a glass slide and then stained to highlight certain cell types or infectious agents in the tissue. The glass slides are sent back to Dr. McCarthy to inspect and analyze under a microscope; her favorite part of her job. The final step is to consider all the evidence and deduce the cause of death.
Despite her passion for her job, Dr. McCarthy did not always dream of being a Zoological Pathologist. Originally, Dr. McCarthy graduated from Yale with an Economics degree. However, during her years at Yale, she took an internship with her professor, a macroeconomist. At that time, he was working on the Kyoto Climate Change Project, an international protocol designed to limit pollution. Dr. McCarthy worked with her professor to build a huge mathematical model for the project. This internship, along with a job in finance, helped her realize that she was not at all interested in a career in economics.
It wasn’t until after her “wandering years”, as Dr. McCarthy likes to refer to them, that she realized her passion for veterinary pathology. After she graduated from Yale, she spent a couple of years traveling, working on farms and bartending. It was working on the farms with the animals that drew her toward a career in veterinary medicine. Dr. McCarthy enrolled in North Carolina State University for vet school and then went to UC Davis to complete her residency. After finishing her residency, she got a job at the San Diego Zoo as a fellow. Dr. McCarthy completed the last major test to becoming a veterinary pathologist by passing the boards, after close to 11 years of hard in school and at the Zoo.
Similarly, neither Dr. Michel nor Dr. Sokol thought they would grow up to be Veterinary Pathologists. Dr. Sokol discovered his passion for pathology when he took a job with a human clinical pathology lab. Additionally, Dr. Michel took a different path. While attending McGill University in Canada, he worked summer research jobs relating to conservation. Later he took jobs working on projects with porcupines and migratory birds. These jobs led him to specialize in veterinary pathology.
Although it may not have been what they imagined when they thought about what they would be when they were older, Dr. McCarthy, Dr. Sokol, and Dr. Michel all love their jobs. If you are interested in a career in Veterinary Pathology, Dr. McCarthy recommends general undergraduate education, such as a biology or animal science major. This will cover your prerequisite science and math requirements while still exposing you to a variety of interesting classes. She also reminds you that Zoos are not the only option for a veterinary pathologist. Veterinary pathologists can find jobs in almost any field, from education and academia to industry and research. However, Dr. McCarthy does believe that the Zoo’s work in habitat and population conservation makes it all the more meaningful.
Sara, Career Team
Week Four, Fall Session 2016
