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Graduate student honored by international aquatics group

Elizabeth Scherbatskoy

Elizabeth Scherbatskoy, a Ph.D. student in the college’s department of infectious diseases and immunology, received the Best Student Presentation Award at the 2018 International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health, held in Canada Sept.2-6.

She was honored for her research on the clownfish picornavirus.

Over the past decade, outbreaks of a deadly disease have wracked the clownfish tanks at a number of aquaculture facilities in the U.S., mystifying producers and scientists alike. These epizootics have left thousands of clownfish sick and dying, and the search for answers has been frustrating to many.

Scherbatskoy’s research involved isolating a novel picornavirus from the sick fish that is believed to be the culprit responsible for these mass mortality events.

Her work was previously acknowledged locally when she received the Best Graduate Student Presentation Award at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine during Phi Zeta Research Day activities in April. She also received Best Student Presentation Awards at state and regional meetings this year, amassing honors at the North Florida Marine Science Symposium and the Eastern Fish Health Workshop.