Josephine Braun, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Dr. Josephine Braun serves San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance as a Senior Scientist in Disease Investigations, overseeing the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory. This specialty lab provides diagnostic support for health management of animals. Josephine’s primary research interests are in infectious diseases, particularly how they impact population health and sustainability, pathogen discovery and characterization, and molecular epidemiology.
Current projects include desert tortoise disease investigations and risk assessment of relocations within the Mojave Desert, avian mycobacterial DNA strain-typing to investigate transmission dynamics of avian mycobacteriosis, vector-borne disease investigations with focus on avian hemoparasites, and the role of water sources within multi-species enclosures at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park as reservoirs for pathogens.
Josephine earned her veterinary medical degree and her doctorate in Veterinary Pathology from Freie University, Berlin. She is a member of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians and the Wildlife Disease Association. She initially came to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance as a postdoctoral associate.
