In Remembrance

Gregory Bossart, VMD, Ph.D.

FVMA out-of-state member Dr. Gregory Bossart, 68, passed away on Nov. 19, 2019, after a courageous battle with cancer. Dr. Bossart was a pathologist, veterinarian and scientist whose vast legacy of work included nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters focusing primarily on the pathologic basis of disease in wild animals. His research efforts increased the public's knowledge and understanding of marine mammals, as well as resurgent and emerging diseases in dolphins, manatees, birds and whales. His groundbreaking work helped characterize the first viral diseases in manatees and led him to develop the first immunohistochemical technique for diagnosing brevetoxicosis (red tide poisoning) in both marine mammals and birds.

Dr. Bossart received his VMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1978. He also spent time at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine as a comparative pathology resident, an adjunct professor and a National Institutes of Health fellow in the school’s Department of Pathology. Dr. Bossart founded the Avian & Wildlife Laboratory at UM in 1993, and he completed his Ph.D. in immunology at Florida International University in 1995. He worked in private veterinary practice early in his career and eventually became a clinical veterinary consultant at facilities in the U.S., Latin America and Asia. His research projects led him to work collaboratively with the National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Ocean Service, the Florida Wildlife Research Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Office of Naval Research. At the time of his passing, Dr. Bossart was the senior vice president and chief veterinary officer at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, where he oversaw animal care, research and conservation programs. He was also the principal investigator of the longstanding dolphin Health Environmental Risk Assessment (HERA) Project at the aquarium. Dr. Bossart remained an active leader in the veterinary community, serving as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (Hons), an adjunct professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, an affiliate professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University and on the graduate faculty at The Medical University of South Carolina.

In recognition of his many accomplishments, Dr. Bossart was awarded the 2019 William Medway Award for Excellence in Teaching by the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, the Dean’s Clinical Research Award for his work at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, the Distinguished Alumni Torch Award from Florida International University and the Alumni Award of Merit from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. His dedication to conservation and commitment to advancing the understanding of marine animals will reverberate in the veterinary, wildlife and marine communities for years to come.

In This Issue

3 | In Remembrance 4 | Member Spotlight 6 | Wellness & Well-being: The Forefront & Future of the FVMA’s Goals 8 | The 13 th Annual Dr. Harvey Rubin Memorial Food Animal Veterinary Medical Conference 10 | From the Exam Room to the Dental Table 14 | The 91 st FVMA Annual Conference 23 | Getting the Right Info on PO: What's New With Parvovirus 26 | Practice Pulse 28 | Classified Advertisements 30 | Thank You LAD 2020 Delegates!