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The WDA’s mission has a strong focus on nurturing up-and-coming wildlife health professionals, as they provide a tantalising and inspiring glimpse of what is to come. We want to celebrate young researchers by recognising their passion, their commitment
and their potential, and the WDA Student Awards are the ideal vehicle to achieve this. They are an investment in the future of wildlife health globally.
The following student awards are offered annually, and
selected winners are recognized at the annual international WDA conference. The aim of these awards is to recognize outstanding student research and scholarship in the field of wildlife health, encourage student participation in the Association
and attendance at our annual international conference.
To learn more, click on each of the awards listed below.
This award is given to the student determined to have the best research project in the field of wildlife health or disease. The selected student is the keynote speaker during the student presentation session at the annual international WDA conference.
This award acknowledges outstanding academic and research accomplishment, productivity, and future potential in pursuit of new knowledge in wildlife health or disease. Two scholarships are awarded annually.
This award goes to the best student poster detailing a wildlife disease or wildlife health research project presented at the annual international WDA conference.
Questions about the Terry Amundson or WDA Student Poster awards please contact the Student Awards Committeestudent.awards@wildlifedisease.org.
STUDENT AWARD RECIPIENTS - 2025
Student Award Winners 2025 from the 73rd Annual International Wildlife Disease Association Conference
Winner - Terry Amundson Best Student Presentation Award
Ashlyn Halseth-Ellis, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Texas, USA – “An Agent-Based Modeling Approach to Simulating Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission among Three Sympatric Cervid Species”
I am a second-year PhD student at Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University- Kingsville. I got my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia (2020) and my Master’s degree from Ohio State University (2024). Outside of my interest in wildlife disease ecology, I am passionate about public outreach and equipping other sportswomen.
My current dissertation research is focused on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) dynamics in Texas. One aspect of my research focuses on developing agent-based models to simulate CWD spread among free-range white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk from CWD-positive regions. Additionally, I am researching trade networks among captive cervid breeding facilities to identify practices that increase a facility’s likelihood of getting CWD. Overall, my dissertation will help develop proactive management practices to mitigate CWD spread among captive and free-range populations.
My long-term goal is to continue to research wildlife pathogens through the scope of developing management tools for state and federal agencies. I am extremely grateful to WDA for this recognition and the opportunity to share my research!
Honourable Mention - Terry Amundson Best Student Presentation Award
Maris Daleo, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - “An Occupancy Analysis To Determine The Unbiased Prevalence Of Three Pathogens In Free-Ranging Eastern Box Turtles In Central Illinois”
I am a DVM/PhD student at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. I completed my PhD in the spring of 2025 in the Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, where I gained extensive experience in molecular diagnostics and statistical modeling. My doctoral research focused on pathogen surveillance and management strategies for confiscated illegally traded eastern box turtles.
This fall, I returned to the University of Illinois’s veterinary curriculum as a second-year student. While my doctoral work emphasized reptile health, my current research focuses on disease surveillance and management in midwestern ungulates, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to continue utilizing my epidemiology skills, even as a veterinary student!
My long-term goal is to pursue a career in conservation medicine in the Midwest, integrating my training as both an epidemiologist and a veterinarian to support the health and management of wildlife.
Winner - Terry Amundson Best Student Presentation Award (WDA2025 Global Voice)
Habib Delfino Ahumada, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum (FCNyM), National University of La Plata (UNLP) (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - “New minimally invasive techniques for sample collection in Antarctic seals”
My name is Habib Delfino Ahumada. I hold a degree in Biology with a specialisation in Zoology from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum (FCNyM) of the National University of La Plata (UNLP) (Buenos Aires, Argentina). I am currently a PhD student in Natural Sciences at FCNyM-UNLP, and I am also part of the Marine Mammals research team at the Department of Predator Biology at the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA-DNA), working on the project ‘Studying the trophic ecology and habits of top predators and mesopredators’.
In this context, I collaborate with research carried out at the Argentine Antarctic Base ‘Primavera’, west of the Antarctic Peninsula. The aim of the project is to identify feeding patterns and their relationship with habitat use in Antarctic seals: Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) and Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx), to generate information that will contribute to the creation of a marine protected area in this sector, proposed by Argentina and Chile.
At the same time, we are developing new non-invasive sampling methods for Antarctic seals, aimed at reducing researchers’ exposure time in the field and minimising risks to animals in an environment as extreme and dynamic as Antarctica.
Future projects are linked to continuing research in Antarctica and contributing to the development of Argentine science in the territory, providing knowledge and tools for the conservation of the Antarctic ecosystem.
This continent symbolises international unity for the future, not only of humanity, but also of its species. It is necessary to maintain these firm agreements in view of the revision of the Antarctic Treaty in 2048, ensuring that this unique and fragile ecosystem continues to represent the values of commitment, awareness and global resilience.
Honourable Mention - Terry Amundson Best Student Presentation Award winner (WDA2025 Global Voice)
Rachele Vada, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Italy - “Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in game meat in north-western alps, with emphasis on its relation with spatial and demographic parameters”
I am a wildlife parasitologist with a veterinary background. In May 2025, I completed my PhD at the University of Turin, Italy, where I focused on the integrated surveillance of tick-borne diseases at the wildlife–domestic–human interface. In my PhD work, I combined innovative tools and perspectives: using camera traps to explore how wild ungulates and mesocarnivores influence tick abundance and disease risk, and comparing different hosts—wild ungulates, dogs, and humans—to identify the most effective targets for monitoring tick-borne diseases.
I have now begun a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada), where my research turns to emerging filarioid nematodes in caribou and other Arctic ungulates.
Looking ahead, my goal is to continue investigating emerging parasitic diseases with a holistic, cross-species perspective—studying parasites in wildlife not only for their ecological relevance, but also for their direct and indirect impacts on human and animal health.
Kellie Libera, Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph - “Bridging the gap: multi-sector perspectives on wildlife, domestic animal and human leptospirosis in Ontario, Canada”
I am a final year PhD candidate in the Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College (University of Guelph). Previously, I graduated from the DVM program at the Ontario Veterinary College (2011) and worked for the Provincial Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as a Regional Veterinarian until 2019. My practice was primarily focused on farm animals and wildlife but also included frequent collaborations with Wildlife and Conservation Officers, wildlife research, and animal welfare.
Leptospirosis is endemic in Ontario and there is evidence suggesting wildlife are the main reservoir species in the province. However, we currently lack the ability to integrate sero-surveillance from wildlife species with laboratory data or other potential surveillance data from humans and domesticated animals, such as pets and livestock. My research involves investigating the feasibility of developing and implementing a One Health approach to leptospirosis in Ontario, Canada. Integration of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies has allowed us to approach the development of a One Health surveillance framework from a unique perspective. A multi-sector integrative One Health approach will provide great advantages to leptospirosis surveillance such as the ability to provide early outbreak warning signals, to improve estimates of occurrence rates, and to provide a better understanding of the roles wildlife-human-domestic animal interfaces play in the distribution of leptospirosis in Ontario.
I have worked with a wide range of wildlife in both medical and research capacities and I hope to use this experience moving forward in post-doctoral research. I would like to pursue a career in the field of wildlife disease ecology and epidemiology, with a focus on zoonoses and One Health approaches. I am grateful to the WDA for the opportunity to present my most recent research and I hope to share more of my research regarding wildlife leptospirosis surveillance at the conference in 2026!
Cambrey Knapp, Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University - “Who infected whom? Inferring transmission dynamics of foot-and-mouth disease virus in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer)”
I am a fourth-year PhD Candidate in Comparative Health Sciences at Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine where I study the transmission dynamics of foot-and-mouth disease virus in African buffalo of Kruger National Park, South Africa and spillover into cattle on the surrounding agricultural land. Prior to my PhD, I received my DVM from Tufts University (2021) and MPH from University of Missouri (2022). I then completed a Ruminant Health Management Internship at North Carolina State University (2022). Additionally, I was honored to serve as the President-Elect and President of the Canada-USA Student Chapter of the WDA over the last two years.
My career goals are focused primarily on managing free-ranging wildlife populations and understanding the complexities with various stakeholders involved. I am particularly interested in infectious disease investigation across the wildlife-domestic animal interface and plan to emphasize a One Health approach throughout my career. I hope to use the skills I have gained over the course of my professional career to serve as a state wildlife veterinarian following the completion of my PhD.
