Lucy Spelman
Field Veterinarian, Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project (MGVP)
EMC Zoological Medicine Resident, 1991-94
Dr. Lucy Spelman has the honor of having been the very first veterinarian to complete the EMC Zoological Medicine Residency. After successfully sitting her ACZM boards she spent five years as a veterinarian at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., prior to serving first as head of veterinary medicine and then director of the National Zoo.
Her field experience includes work with giant otters in Guyana and giant pandas in China and now she is off to another challenging field assignment.
Dr. Spelman was recently named one of two new regional veterinarians that will be staffing the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project working in Rwanda to provide life-saving health care to this highly endangered species. Get to know Dr. Spelman though a video interview by clicking here.
EMC has a long connection with the MGVP through the work of EMC faculty in conjunction with the Morris Animal Foundation and the work of EMC graduate students Felicia Nutter and Chris Whittier in Rwanda.
Dr. Spelman currently maintains a blog for the Discovery Channel with frequent updates regarding her work in Rwanda.