Julie Sheldon

Dr. Julie Sheldon is a veterinarian dedicated to teaching, conservation medicine, and research with goals of improving clinical techniques and welfare in a variety of zoo and wild animals. Her current research work includes health assessments and anesthesia of American black bears and ocular health of cownose rays in aquariums. She has travelled globally and contributed to health assessments of remote wildlife populations including Bolivian river dolphins, South American fur seals, and Galapagos tortoises. Dr. Sheldon has published research studies on a variety of topics from scorpion anesthesia to canine distemper virus in sloths. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Florida, DVM from the University of California Davis, and master's degree from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. Dr. Sheldon completed the three-year Illinois and Zoological and Aquatic Animal Residency with the University of Illinois, Shedd Aquarium, and Brookfield Zoo. She is currently board certified in zoological medicine and is a clinical assistant professor of zoological medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.