Session 11 with Dr. Megan Ouyang
Megan received her B.S. in General Biology and B.A. in Literatures of the World from University of California, San Diego and Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from University of California, Davis with a specialization in Zoo/Wildlife medicine. After finishing vet school, she completed the Interdisciplinary MPH program at University of California, Berkeley to continue investigating means of bettering the health of humans, animals, and the environment in a sustainable manner. After completing her MPH, Megan spent a year working at community vaccine clinics and volunteering with the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team (VERT). With VERT, Megan was the Lead Veterinarian responding to the 2021 Dixie Fire in Plumas County, where she provided free veterinary care to those affected by the disaster.
Educational Background
Grew up in the Bay Area
Took courses in community college in high school
College
Wanted to major in zoology or marine biology
Double-majored in biology and literature
Studied marine biology abroad in Sydney, Australia
Pre-Vet School
Volunteered in research aquarium lab, which led her to choose
Researched in pelagics lab - studying fish in open water
Didn’t know how she was going to get a job in marine biology => started think about vet school
Got an internship at Oakland Zoo Animal Care
Wildlife Rehabilitation intern at Banfield - was a wildlife rehab tech
Saw an owl that flew into power lines
Veterinary School
Went UC Davis
Naturally curious person, so when doing veternary medicine, learned about a variety of animals instead of specializing
Wanted to become a zoo or wildlife vet
Developed interest in One Health
Graduated with an Masters of Public Health from Berkeley
Post Grad School
Worked at Community Vet Clinics
Provided basic care
Preventative medicine for animals
Worked for Alameda County in the public health department
Currently working for Santa Clara
Infectious disease epidemiologist
Q&A?
What inspired you to become a vet in high school?
Really loved animals
Wanted to become a doctor, but didn’t want to work on people
How do we surveil diseases in animals?
Public health is working to learn how to do this
People can sometimes report disease in animals, but it is easier to report diseases in humans
Sometimes people can report diseases that they have gotten from ticks
Public Health screens dogs for Lyme Disease
What colors do cats see?
It’s hard to know because it’s hard to understand how animals see
How animals see is very dependent on the physiologies of their eyes
What did you do that influenced your career and you as a person?
Literature major in college
Helped her understand how humans communicate; communication is very important for vets
What interactions with animals influenced you to become a vet?
Had to beg her parents to get a pet, and she really loved owning her pet
Do you think you are going to ever work at a Zoo or Aquarium?
Enjoys her job in public health
Can be difficult to find such jobs - many zoos don’t employ vets
Those vets also often need to specialize thru residency
One Health
The idea that the health of people is connected to the health of animals
During Vet School
Volunteered at the Knight’s Landing One Health Clinic - free medical care for underprivileged individuals and their pets
Poultry improvment project in Nicaragua
Gave chickens to women; taught them how to raise and care for the chickens, so that they could have food
Round Valley Indian Reservation
Tanzania One Health Training Program
Trained mice to have a good enough sense of smell, so that they could sniff out diseases
Tested bats for disease
Emergency Preparedness Response
Both animals and humans displaced/affected by wildfires
Spurred her to want to work in public health
Human-Animal Bond
Strong relationships b/w animals and humans can combat climate change, improve mental health, and antimicrobial resistance
Role of Vets
Limiting the spread of diseases
E.g. Avian influenza outbreak, rabies
75% emerging infectious diseases come from animals
Food Safety & Security
E.g. salmonella in basil
How to practice One Health
Preventive medicine
Not one specific way
Everyone fits into one health
Public Health/ Vet Scenario
Homeless woman living in an encampment, her dog, and her neighbors are having diarrhea
Look at medical records, what the woman ate, and the the diseases are there in the area
Things to ask about
Specifics of the woman’s symptoms
How long the dog was sick
If anyone who lives around the woman is sick
Conditions of the encampment
Weather/time of year
What will happen to the dog?
Could be sent to the pound
Woman could ask a friend to take care of the dog
How will the dog’s symptoms be treated
Take a stool sample from the dog
