It is with great sadness that we report that one of our alumni, Dr Jo Griffith, passed away this week from cancer. Jo completed her PhD in 2010 in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney with Damien Higgins, Paul Canfield, Mark Krockenberger and Merran Govendir. Her work on treatment of chlamydiosis in koalas broke the ground for the current research program in that area, overcoming many technical and clinical challenges. Her analysis of risk factors for admission to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital foreshadowed several subsequent studies on other populations and is quite heavily used and cited. Jo was well known in the wildlife health community for her intellect, drive, compassion and concern for the welfare of wildlife in care and in the wild. She was a passionate advocate for evidence-based medicine and management of wildlife in rehab and in the wild and made significant impact through her studies of rehabilitation outcomes, her contribution to the Wildlife Disease Association, and her ongoing engagement across the koala rehab community, researchers, zoos and government in South Australia. Even in her last months, Jo was making significant contributions to national koala health forums and working groups. Jo always challenged the status quo and was outspoken enough to get others to take a look at themselves and do the same. Jo and her contribution to the wildlife health community will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.
