Speaker Highlight

 

USDA/APHIS Animal Welfare Act Regulations for Birds

Dr. Chester A. Gipson

Dr. Chester A. Gipson was appointed Acting Deputy Administrator in November 2001, and then Deputy Administrator, of Animal Care in May 2002. He and his staff (which includes headquarters personnel in Riverdale, Maryland, regional personnel in Raleigh, North Carolina, and regional personnel in Fort Collins, Colorado) are responsible for the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the Horse Protection Act (HPA).

Dr. Gipson has worked for APHIS for more than 20 years. His first job was as a Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO) on the Sheep, Goat, Equine, Ectoparasite, and Miscellaneous Disease staff within Veterinary Services (VS). After that, he served as a VMO with Policy and Program Development, where he and other staff and line officials developed broad policies and veterinary medical programs for VS. After serving a year as Assistant Director of VS’ Southeastern Regional Office, headquartered in Tampa, Florida, he served as Director of that program, until he became the Director of VS’ Animal Health Programs in Riverdale, Maryland, and, later, the Associate Deputy Administrator of VS.

Dr. Gipson received a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama; a Master’s of Agriculture (specializing in Physiology) from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida; and a Bachelor of Science (with a major in Animal Science and Biology) from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida.
 

Dr. Jeleen Briscoe

Dr. Jeleen Briscoe graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002, completed a small animal internship with the VCA Veterinary Referral Associates in Gaithersburg, MD, and returned to UPenn to complete a residency in special species medicine.

In 2005, she became a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP)--Avian.  From 2006 to 2009, she was an Assistant Professor for UPenn's Section of Special Species Medicine and Surgery. Her research interests focused on avian welfare and the effects of captivity on parrots, including the influence of human bacterial flora on dermatological bacterial flora and feather damaging behavior in parrots and antimicrobial resistance in bacteria isolated from birds. For the last 3 years, she has served as head of the Avian Welfare Committee for the Association of Avian Veterinarians and organizer of the upcoming Avian Welfare Symposium to be held at the association's annual conference in late summer of 2010.

In her current position as avian specialist for the USDA/APHIS Animal Care division, she is working on Animal Welfare Act regulations for certain facilities with birds. She is also a part of the Zoo Animal Health Network, which enables zoos across the country to perform foreign animal disease surveillance and draft emergency management plans.