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Carla Savage, DVM, PhD, MPhil, PgC, CertAqV., DABVP (Fish Practice), FRSPH

Associate Professor of Practice, Aquatic Animal Medicine
  • Center for Public Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Carla Phillips Savage is an aquatic One Health practitioner, Certified Aquatic Veterinarian, Board-certified Fish Health Specialist, with extensive experience in veterinary curriculum and program management and industry stakeholder training. Her areas of focus include supporting veterinary public practice workforce development, and conducting research on identification and characterization of aquatic pathogens, particularly piscine mycobacteria, and exploring the use of extended reality technology in veterinary medical education.

Postgraduate Certificate, University Teaching and Learning, 2016
Faculty of Humanities and Education
Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

PhD, Veterinary Medical Sciences, Aquatic Animal Medicine, 2009
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

MPhil, Food Animal Medicine, 2007
Faculty of Medical Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

DVM, 2002
Faculty of Medical Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

  • Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Fish Practice)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health

  • Promotion of ‘One Health’.
  • Identification and characterization of food fish, ornamental fish, shellfish, sea turtle and marine mammal pathogens and toxins affecting marine and freshwater species, and to elucidate their potential impacts on human, animal and environmental health.
  • Aquatic animal disease surveillance.
  • Biotic and abiotic factors that may contribute to aquatic environmental degradation and disease pathogenesis.
  • Molecular diagnostics for aquatic animal diseases in the Gulf of Mexico, the Wider Caribbean region and the Northern Atlantic.
  • Exploring the use of emerging Extended Reality (XR) technology in Veterinary Public Practice Education.

2022–present
Associate Professor of Practice, Aquatic Animal Medicine
Center for Public Veterinary Medicine
Population Health Sciences
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

2018-2022
Member, Management Committee of the Caribbean Fisheries Training and Development Institute
Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

2011-present
Stranding Coordinator
Trinidad and Tobago Marine Mammal Stranding Network
(Marine mammal and sea turtle stranding response)
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

2020-2022
Member, National Sea Turtle Task Force
Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

2010-2022
Lecturer, Marine Mammal Medicine/Aquatic Animal Health
Faculty of Medical Sciences
School of Veterinary Medicine
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

2010-2021
Fish/Shellfish Health Consultant to the Institute of Marine Affairs
Ministry of Planning and Development
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

2015-2020
Member, World Organization for Animal Health (formerly OIE)
Focal Point for Aquatic Animal Diseases for Trinidad and Tobago
Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

2010-2017
Fish/Shellfish Health Consultant to the Seafood Industry Development Company, Ministry of Trade and Industry
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

2012-2015
Member, National Aquaculture Task Force for the Implementation of the Food Production Action Plan
Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries
Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

2010
Aquatic Animal Health, Post-doctoral Clinical Extern and Advanced Fish Medicine Clinical Clerkship
Multiple Facilities
Multiple Locations

2007-2009
Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

2005-2009
FULBRIGHT Scholar
Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

2002-2005
Teaching Assistant
Large Animal Medicine/Surgery/Theriogenology
School of Veterinary Medicine
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

2002-2003
Small Animal Clinician
St. Augustine Veterinary Clinic
St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

  • World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association (WAVMA)- Certified Aquatic Veterinarian (CertAqV.)
  • International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine (IAAAM)
  • University of Florida Alumni Association
  • United States Animal Health Association (USAHA)
  • American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section (AFS-FHS)

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