Professor honored by reptile and amphibian association

Dr. Jim Bogan, left, president of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, presents Dr. Jim Wellehan with the Reptile and Amphibian Veterinary Excellence, or RAVE, Award.

Dr. Jim Wellehan, a professor in the college’s department of comparative, diagnostic and population medicine, has received the 2023 Reptile and Amphibian Veterinary Excellence, or RAVE, Award from the Reptile and Amphibian Association.

The award is presented annually to one veterinarian in recognition of his or her outstanding contributions in advancing the care of reptile and amphibian medicine and conservation.

A specialist in both zoological medicine and microbiology, Wellehan is associated with the zoological medicine service and serves as the veterinarian of record for the Lubee Bat Conservancy and Santa Fe Teaching Zoo. He also co-directs the Zoological Medicine Laboratory at UF and developed molecular diagnostic testing there in 2002.

He can usually be found in the zoo medicine ward of UF’s Small Animal Hospital, helping owls and tortoises and chatting about dinosaurs, microbial ecology and phylogenetic trees. His research interests focus on evolution and ecology of pathogens of non-domestic animals, with an emphasis on molecular diagnostics and pathogen discovery.

The association focuses on improving the health and welfare of reptiles and amphibians by cultivating an engaged and educated global veterinary community.