Biography

 

Lucy H. Spelman

grew up with a menagerie of animals on an old dairy farm in rural Connecticut. While in middle school, she looked forward to “old clothes Wednesday,” a day set aside by one of her teachers to explore the nature trails across the street. She earned a bachelor of arts in biology from Brown University, then her veterinary degree from the University of California at Davis, and completed her post-doctoral training at North Carolina State University. Board-certified by the American College of Zoological Medicine in 1994, Dr. Spelman’s work experience includes nearly ten years with the Smithsonian's National Zoo, half as a clinical veterinarian, and half as its director. She joined the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in October 2006 as its Africa-based regional manager.  During the 2009-2010 academic year, Lucy is  a visiting Assitant Professor at Brown University where she initially earned a B.A. in biology (1985.)  She is teaching for Dr. Ruth Colwill, a Professor in the Pscychology Department, who is a specialist on animal behavior and is on sabbatical for this year.  Lucy is teaching a course on primate Behavior in the fall, and a course on animal health in the spring

Lucy enjoys sharing her work with others through all forms of media. In addition to writing, she has been filmed at work with animals in more than a dozen cable television documentaries, and as served as a consultant for various media and education divisions of Discovery Communications, Inc. “We’re all in this together,” she says of today’s conservation challenges.  Her latest accomplishment is the publication of “The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes," a collection of heart-warming stories written by zoo and wild animal vets about their patients.  The book was published in hard cover last year and in paperback (June 23, 2009.)   It has also just been published in the UK under a different title, "The Hippo with Toothache." 

Lucy is also a dynamic speaker with amazing stories to tell about taking care of animals in every imaginable setting, from our pets at home to those remaining in the vanishing wild.  She speaks candidly of lessons learned, including the importance of understanding how the health of one species impacts another.  These days, she keeps one eye on her patients and the other on the bigger picture of global health.  To schedule a speaking event, please contact Lucy directly at lucy@drlucyspelman.com.

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