Head of Zoological Medicine at Shedd Aquarium (Dr. Karisa Tang)

The Dream Vocation Podcast with Tony Bellagamba

In this episode we speak with Dr. Karisa Tang. Dr. Karisa oversees the veterinary medical program at the world famous Shedd Aquarium in Chicago!

I have to say this was one of my favorite interviews of all time. Throughout my life, whenever I’ve visited a zoo or aquarium, I always wondered who had the awesome job of taking care of such a wide variety of animals. Well, Dr. Karisa is that person! From dolphins to penguins to sea otters to fish and beyond, Dr. Karisa and her team oversee the health and wellness of over 25,000 animals at the aquarium.

Dr. Karisa’s specialty is in Zoological medicine, which is the study of all non-domesticated species and some domesticated species, or as Dr. Karisa defines it, “the study of the weird and wonderful”. Whereas those in human medicine specialize in systems or parts of the body such as cardiology, those in zoological medicine have to have knowledge across thousands of species. From quarantining a giant pacific octopus to a treating a virus in a penguin, doctors of zoological medicine have to cover it all. In fact, this is such a specialty that there are only around 300 people who specialize in zoological medicine! There are only 28 residency programs in the world for zoological medicine and they each usually take only one person per year.

Dr. Karisa was able to achieve this rarified air through hard work and extreme dedication. From the time she saw a movie about whales as a young girl, she knew that she wanted to work with animals. From that moment on she dedicated her free time, including summer breaks, to pursuing her passion. In the end it all paid off, as Dr. Karisa now gets to live out her dreams as a leader of one of the world’s most prestigious aquariums.

This is a fascinating interview with a fascinating person so I certainly encourage you to give it a listen. Thanks so much!

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