Dr. Hugues Beaufrere and Dr. Michael Ziccardi Appointed Co-Directors of the California Raptor Center
Dr. Hugues Beaufrere and Dr. Michael Ziccardi have been appointed as Co-Directors of the California Raptor Center (CRC).
Dr. Beaufrere will lead the clinical and rehabilitation efforts, overseeing the medical care and welfare of rehabilitation and ambassador birds while also leading and expanding the CRC’s research program in raptor medicine, rehabilitation, welfare, and conservation; and integrating CRC activities into veterinary residency and student training programs. Dr. Ziccardi will lead the administrative aspects of the CRC with management oversight, leadership, compliance, and facilities management. Together they will partner on strategic planning, fundraising, budgeting, communications, and public education initiatives.
Dr. Hugues Beaufrère is an Associate Professor in Zoological Medicine. A board-certified specialist in avian medicine (ABVP, ECZM) and zoological medicine (ACZM), his clinical and research interests center on the health of raptors, parrots, and other birds, with a particular focus on lipid disorders, cardiovascular disease, and improving medical care for wild and managed avian species. He also works with a wide variety of exotic animal species within the hospital's Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service. He spent eight years at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada before joining UC Davis in 2021. His research has been published widely in the veterinary literature, and he is actively involved in clinical studies aimed at advancing medicine for exotic and wildlife species.
Dr. Michael Ziccardi is the Director of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center (WHC), Director for the California Veterinary Emergency Team (CVET), Head of Global Programs for the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN), and Health Science Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine & Epidemiology. Formerly, he was the Executive Director of the One Health Institute. Since 1996, Michael has acted as an oil spill response veterinarian and oiled wildlife response director during more than 50 spills nationally and internationally. He has worked as a Contract Veterinarian for the California Department of Fish and Game/Wildlife, a Research Epidemiologist for the Lincoln Park Zoo, as both a Program Coordinator and Senior Wildlife Veterinarian for the WHC, and as faculty for the SVM.
Beaufrère and Ziccardi step into the roles vacated by the retirement of longtime director Dr. Michelle Hawkins. Hawkins started out as a veterinary medical resident at the center to becoming the medical director in 2005 and ultimately director in 2012. Hawkins helped advance the Center's impact through clinical care, research, education, training, and partnerships, while continuing its longstanding mission of raptor conservation and community education. Along the way, she generously shared her clinical expertise, compassion, and mentorship with countless colleagues, students, and animal patients, inspiring and leaving a lasting impact on all who have had the privilege to work alongside her. For more on her tenure, see this interview.