Suzan Murray — Chief Veterinarian at the National Zoo

As chief veterinary medical officer and head of the Zoo’s department of wildlife sciences, Suzan Murray oversees conservation, research and training programs, which focus on both captive and free-ranging wildlife. She created a veterinary SWAT team capable of responding to wildlife emergencies globally—from removing a poacher’s snare from an endangered gorilla to assisting elephant training programs in Myanmar. Murray is the co-principal investigator for the Smithsonian on a prestigious USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats program grant, which combines wildlife surveillance and international training in the quest to predict and prevent the next major pandemic threat to humans.

Suzan Murray was a featured speaker at Smithsonian magazine’s “The Future is Here” conference on June 1. See a video of her talk below: