As a part of our “Where Are They Now?” series, we had an e-interview with Dr. Dan Grove, who was our veterinary intern in 2002-2003.
Q: What have you done professionally since leaving the Wildlife Center?
Dr. Dan: I spent a few years doing field research on deer in Illinois, Colorado, and Wisconsin while working for the University of Wisconsin and the National Park Service. I served as the staff veterinarian at the Cape Wildlife Center on Cape Cod in Massachusetts for several years before moving to North Dakota to be the wildlife veterinarian for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for just about a decade. In 2018, I moved back to my home state of Tennessee to my current position.
Q: What’s your current position/organization?
Dr. Dan: I currently have a dual role. I am an Assistant Professor and the Extension Wildlife Health Specialist for the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and I also serve as the wildlife veterinarian for the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA).
Q: What do you do in your current job with regard to wildlife?
Dr. Dan: I am tasked with developing informational material and outreach regarding wildlife health in Tennessee, identifying and coordinating research needs regarding wildlife health, and assisting TWRA in developing and instituting their disease and wildlife health management programs.
Q: How did your experience at the Wildlife Center of Virginia help you prepare for or influence your career?
Dr. Dan: My experiences at the Wildlife Center gave me the hands-on experience that helped me further develop my interest in wildlife health and wildlife management.
Q: Based on your life and professional experiences, what advice would you give students or young professionals interested in wildlife medicine, conservation medicine, or wildlife rehabilitation?
Dr. Dan: Wildlife health is a diverse field. Get as much experience as you can while still in school. It will help you figure out what aspect of wildlife health interests you the most and it will help you broaden your life experience. Be willing to move and try new things. Be flexible and willing to change. Patience pays off as long as you continue to work hard and continue to learn – in the process, you will eventually find your place in the field.
Dr. Dan in the news:
Disease Threatening Deer Population Has Spread to 26 States; Wasting illness is incurable and can be spread among deer species, including the whitetail, Wall Street Journal
Tennessee adopts emergency action plan to address chronic wasting disease, Times Free Press
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