Wildlife Agency Perspective
Dr. Leslie Dierauf

About Dr. Leslie Dierauf

Leslie A. Dierauf, VMD
Director, USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Madison, WI

Leslie Dierauf is a wildlife veterinarian and conservation biologist, who has worked with the federal government for more than 10 years. Currently, Dr. Dierauf is the Director of the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC), a U.S. Geological Survey biosafety level 3 laboratory and science center in Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to moving to Madison (in October 2003), Leslie spent almost a decade at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where she worked on the Endangered Species program for the Southwest (AZ, NM, TX, OK). She also conducted habitat conservation planning for threatened and endangered species in these same states, including partner and stewardship efforts with the private sector. Upon first entering the Fish and Wildlife Service, she served as the Playa Lakes Joint Venture Coordinator, protecting unique southwest wetland habitat and the species, particularly migratory waterfowl, who use them.

Prior to federal Executive Branch service, Leslie worked as a science advisor on Committee staff for the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. for 3+ years. In late 1998, she was honored by the profession of veterinary medicine with the American Veterinary Medical Association’s National Animal Welfare Award. She also was a Congressional Science Fellow (American Association for the Advancement of Science) in 1990. Prior to going to Washington, D.C. in 1990, for 17 years, Leslie practiced small animal emergency (nights and weekends) and marine mammal medicine (days) in northern California. In 2001, Leslie published a second edition of The CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine, a world-renown, one-of-a-kind 1100-page textbook working with 66 contributors and 100 peer reviewers.

Currently, Leslie sits on two Boards: (1) the Marine Ecosystem Health SeaDoc Society Advisory Board, a research and science policy group from Orcas Island, WA and, (2) the University of California, Davis, Wildlife Health Center Board. She also in her capacity as National Wildlife Health Center Director serves on the National Science Foundation’s Disease Informatics Senior Coordinating Committee, the U.S. Animal Health Association’s Executive Committee, the Consortium for Conservation Medicine’s Executive Committee, and the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agency’s Wildlife Health Committee. She served for 8 years on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Environmental Affairs Committee, and for 8 years on the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Working Group, and co-founded a non-profit membership and educational group, the Alliance of Veterinarians for the Environment.