Christoph Mans, a zoological medicine resident at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), the Milwaukee County Zoo, and the International Crane Foundation, was recently honored with the Rudolf Ippen Young Scientist Award. The International Conference on Diseases of Zoo and Wild Animals, held this year in Bussolengo, Italy, May 16-19, recognized Mans for his outstanding work in the field of zoo animal and wildlife medicine.

Mans studied at the University of Leipzig in Germany, completed an internship in avian and exotic animal medicine at the University of Guelph, and worked in private practice in Hong Kong before coming to the SVM in 2009. His work focuses on non-traditional pet species, particularly turtles and parrots. Mans works in both the clinical and research aspects of veterinary medicine alongside Kurt Sladky, a clinical assistant professor and fellow zoological medicine specialist.

According to Sladky, the Rudolf Ippen Award honors young scientists whose recent work demonstrates the beginning of a particularly promising career in wildlife veterinary science, conservation medicine, or zoo animal and wildlife medicine. Sladky believes that recent publications by Mans made him a strong candidate. These publications include two projects that pioneered new techniques: spinal anesthesia for turtles and internasal sedation for parrots.

For Mans, his impressive research this year is just the beginning of a long career. “I would like to stay in academia,” said Mans. “I appreciate the working environment, which fosters critical thought processes, and allows for the successful transformation of clinical problems into research hypotheses, and at the same time lets me teach students, interns, and residents.”

The International Conference on Diseases of Zoo and Wildlife Animals is hosted annually by the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research and the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians.