Ellen Bronson, DVM, DACZM, graduated from the Freie Universitaet Berlin with a degree in veterinary medicine.  After graduation, she completed multiple training programs, including a one year internship in small animal medicine in Indiana, a two year internship in zoo medicine at the Maryland Zoo, and a three year residency in zoo medicine at Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park. She started as a staff veterinarian at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in 2006. She became a board-certified specialist in zoo and wildlife medicine with the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) in 2007. She is currently the Senior Director of Animal Health, Conservation, and Research at the Maryland Zoo, and oversees the veterinary and nutrition programs, as well as field conservation and research endeavors at the zoo. Her field experience and interests center especially around the human-domestic animal-wildlife interface, in species ranging from Maryland black bears, bog turtles, snowy owls, and Bolivian river dolphins. Her current position is her absolute dream job, but if she didn’t work at the zoo, she would be a full-time field researcher in some remote corner of the globe!