Connie Silbernagel
Growing up in New Orleans, Connie Silbernagel loved spending summers on Lake Pontchartrain in her grandparents’ home on the water (a.k.a. ‘camp’). Her fondest memories center around fishing for catfish, setting crab traps with her grandfather, crawfish boils, eating and laughing with family and friends.
From the time she could walk, Connie had a passion for dance. Unlike many in veterinary medicine, working with animals was not her childhood dream. In fact, at the beginning of her vocational search, she was certain that she would be a famous choreographer on Broadway. However, she developed interests in public health and marine biology while an undergrad at Tulane University, and began to focus her efforts on finding a career that could encompass both of these disciplines.
While working as a medical transcriptionist and volunteering at a local small animal medical facility, she completed an internship studying dolphin behavior at San Diego State University. These experiences culminated in a decision to pursue a veterinary career; a way to combine elements of medicine, environmental and public health.
She wanted to experience life outside of the United States, so she ventured to Ross University in St. Kitts for veterinary school. What an amazing experience! Not only did she learn medicine from experts around the world, but she also made life-long friends and learned important life lessons; respect for a culture unlike her own, the virtue of patience, and a deep appreciation for her home country upon her return.
She began her veterinary career in small animal medicine to develop a solid foundation in medical and surgical skills. After a few years of clinical practice in both Ohio and California, she eventually found herself pulled back to education. She was delighted to be accepted to the MPVM program at UC Davis. It proved to be a career-changing experience. The program amalgamated the disciplines that Connie hoped to practice; a One Health approach to veterinary medicine and public health. Under the expert supervision of Drs. Janet Foley and Deana Clifford, she gained field experience in researching pathogens of concern in native California western pond turtle populations.
Following the MPVM program, she accepted a research and clinical veterinary position studying marine finfish pathogens at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, a non-profit located in San Diego California. Having no prior experience in aquaculture, she learned a significant amount about finfish rearing, nutrition, physiology, medicine, and disease epidemiology as it relates to a developing industry in the U.S. Working 10 years in this field afforded her unique opportunities working with both State and Federal officials, academic research partners, SeaWorld San Diego professionals as they responded to environmental emergencies (oil spills, strandings), and mentoring high school through veterinary school students interested in pursuing a career in aquatic veterinary medicine.
Wanting to further her experience in food security and safety, she changed roles to focus entirely on the practice of disease epidemiology. She currently works as a Veterinary Medical Officer in the Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health with the United States Department of Agriculture. She has the privilege to work with many diverse talented professionals in safeguarding U.S. agriculture through the surveillance of diseases across several commodity groups and species.
In her downtime, she enjoys getting outdoors, hiking, paddle boarding, and practicing Pilates, which enables her to still dance occasionally. She and her husband enjoy traveling globally as much as possible. They are currently on the search for a canine companion to add to their family.