Courtesy: FOX News Chicago and the John G. Shedd Aquarium

Dr. Ilze Berzins, panelist for the upcoming C2ST program “Gulf Oil Disaster: An Ecosystem Endangered,” speaks to Fox News Chicago about the effects on wildlife from the Michigan and Gulf Oil spills.

Dr. Ilze Berzins is Executive VP of Animal Health and Conservation Education at Shedd Aquarium.  She has 20 years experience in veterinary medicine, doctoral and postdoctoral research, teaching, and establishing and managing conservation programs for public aquariums.

Prior to joining Shedd Aquarium, Dr. Berzins was Veterinarian and Vice President of Biological Operations at Florida Aquarium in Tampa, Fla. During her 12-year tenure, Dr. Berzins reconfigured the organization’s conservation program, creating a separate entity called The Center for Conservation at The Florida Aquarium. She also established the Global Reef Institute, a consortium of institutions dedicated to coral reef restoration, research and action. Research conducted at the Global Reef Institute provides the resources and information to help restore and rebuild Florida’s damaged reefs.

Well respected throughout the zoological community, Dr. Berzins holds a doctorate in Zoology from the University of California – Berkley and earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of California – Davis. She has worked in Comparative Pathology for the fellowship at Johns Hopkins.