Thierry Work

As a Veterinary Medical Officer with the National Wildlife Health Center based in Hawaii, Dr. Thierry Work, DVM, MVPM oversees a broad array of wildlife and ecosystem health programs that include sea turtles, coral reefs, endangered birds and mammals, and spans a huge region across the Pacific Ocean. Starting off as an entomologist, Thierry went to veterinary school to learn more about the vertebrate aspects of infectious diseases. Energetic, wise, and a jack of all trades, we loved learning about how Thierry applies his veterinary training and expertise to creatively solve complex problems and improve the health of entire ecosystems.

Veterinary School & Year Graduated: UC Davis, 1988

Additional Degrees:

UC Davis, Master of Science, Entomology, 1986:

UC Davis, Residency, Wildlife Medicine, 1990

UC Davis, Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 1990

Questions and Answers

Tell me about your most challenging and rewarding veterinary jobs or work experiences.
One of my most rewarding jobs was working for California Fish and Game as a wildlife veterinarian. I got to work on a wide variety of projects, which opened doors to many possibilities. I like pushing the envelopes of veterinary medicine through deep-level thinking to develop creative solutions, especially with limited resources. This process feeds my curiosity and the solutions are directly applicable to management.
What did you love about the position or experience?
My favorite aspect of my job is helping wildlife resources and working with ecosystem management. Veterinarians are the only profession where we’re forced from the get-go to think comparatively and we're not encouraged to flex that muscle very much. There’s no limit to what you can do because of the comparative paradigm that you use. I love the ability to work with ecologists, look at problems from the veterinary standpoint, and bring pieces to the equation that they never thought about, never conceptualized. Working with them as a team and introducing that way of thinking helps come up with really concrete answers to address resource issues.
Tell me about your journey to get to that point in your life.
I studied entomology in college; my first research experience was studying mosquito control and I quickly caught the research bug. I came to Davis for a master’s in entomology where I studied avian malaria and mosquito transmission. I went to vet school to learn more about the vertebrate aspect of diseases. I had no interest in private practice, I just wanted to learn more. A mentor connected me with someone working on Bluetongue disease and Culicoides research. That work focused on viral epidemiology and eventually opened the door to design a joint residency with UC Davis and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) studying free-ranging wildlife. I also got an MPVM at this time. Following graduation, I worked for CDFW until my current job in Hawaii opened up. Through this journey, my research interests have shifted from birds to sea turtles and now I focus on protecting corals.
As a veterinary student, did you ever imagine yourself taking this journey and having these professional experiences?
I never would have imagined getting into marine studies. It's all about identifying and following problems and taking advantage of opportunities. The reason we do [research] is in part because of interest, because we're curious about these organisms, but it's more about trying to address problems.
In retrospect, what do you wish you’d known as a veterinary student or early in your career?
I wish I knew more about how to network but overall I can't see how I could have changed my experience to be better. I look back and I feel pretty damn lucky to have done what I've done. I just don't know how I could have changed it to be much better than what it's been. The people I've been working with have been great and I've been really fortunate to have the opportunities that I’ve had.
Would you have changed anything about your time in veterinary school?
I could have been a better student but I didn't like the way the material was taught. I spent most of my time in the library reading publications instead of studying for exams and I wouldn't have changed that.
Would you have changed anything about your career path since graduating?
I wouldn’t have changed anything. Frankly, I’m too busy to think about “what ifs.”
Did you have any mentors or role models along the way that helped or inspired you? Please provide an example of how they helped you or what qualities they had that made them a good mentor? How did you find them?
My notable mentors showed me how to be a decent human being. I was fortunate to be in "family" style labs with a lot of mutual support. The people in those labs showed me how to treat people like human beings and value good relationships over producing a lot of papers. One mentor taught me how to interact with managers in vet med and optimize teamwork. My advice is to find mentors by gaining a reputation for doing good work. Most people have gotten where they have gotten with a lot of elbow grease. Do a good job and be a decent person to be around and people will want to work with you.
Tell me about any pivotal moments or key turning points that shaped your career.
A project of mine discovered a domoic acid outbreak in pelicans which put my name on the map of science. My reputation from that project helped get me to my current job. My work of discovering the cause of mortality in endangered crows (toxoplasmosis) also played a role in opening doors. My more recent work in protecting corals has been an unexpected redirection.
Tell me about one or two challenges, setbacks, or obstacles that you faced along the way on your professional journey. How did you address those?
A project investigating declining crow populations with an unknown infectious agent has been challenging. We still don't know what's causing the decline and there’s a need for constant innovation and persistence to get answers.
What was the most important lesson you learned as a veterinarian, and still remember today, and would want to tell vet students about?
Never hesitate to ask questions, there are no uncomfortable questions. Also, be persistent. You have to be able to question things, including questioning yourself, in order to make progress.
What’s been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
The coral protection project I’m working on is already a pretty big highlight. The work involves controlling invasive anemones that smother the coral through shipwreck removal which is a high risk, high reward endeavor considering the cost of removal.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell me that you think would be helpful or relevant to veterinary students or early-career veterinarians?
Follow your interests in trying to help people solve problems. Ecosystem problems are human problems, they're not wildlife problems. I mean, all these problems occur because of humans. We have to be able to work with humans and convince humans to do the right thing for wildlife, and by doing so, you're doing the right thing for humans and humanity. So work and find ways to make that happen. You'll make an impact and you'll probably have a satisfying career at the same time.