Monday, September 8th, 7:30 P.M. CT
Zoom link will go to members via email.

In recent decades, fungal diseases have become a major concern for the conservation of many animal species across the globe. In this presentation, we will cover the reasons behind the emergence of these diseases, what makes fungal pathogens so deadly to many different types of wildlife, and talk more in-depth about two fungal diseases of concern: white-nose syndrome in bats and snake fungal disease.

Jeff Lorch holds bachelor’s degrees in both Microbiology and Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He graduated with a PhD in Molecular and Environmental Toxicology from UW in 2012. Since 2015, he has worked as a microbiologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin. At USGS, Jeff runs a diagnostic laboratory that helps identify the causes of wildlife mortality events across the country, and he also conducts research on emerging wildlife diseases. His work has focused heavily on fungal pathogens, including the causative agents of white-nose syndrome, chytridiomycosis in amphibians, and snake fungal disease.