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Coral Health and Disease in the Pacific: Vision for Action

Coral Health and Disease in the Pacific: Vision for Action

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Dana WilliamsDana earned her doctorate degree <strong>in</strong> 2002, at <strong>the</strong> University of South Florida work<strong>in</strong>gwith Dr. Pam Hallock-Muller on <strong>the</strong> population dynamics of a reef <strong>for</strong>am<strong>in</strong>ifer. She <strong>the</strong>nbegan post-doctoral research at <strong>the</strong> University of Miami Rosenstiel School (RSMAS)work<strong>in</strong>g with Dr. Margaret Miller (National Mar<strong>in</strong>e Fisheries Service) on acroporid coralpopulations <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Florida Keys. In 2003 Dana’s discovery of an atypical diseaseoutbreak <strong>in</strong> Acropora cervicornis <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Florida Keys led to her <strong>in</strong>volvement <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>CDHC <strong>and</strong> its first coord<strong>in</strong>ated response <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigation of a coral disease outbreak.S<strong>in</strong>ce this outbreak <strong>in</strong>vestigation, Dana has cont<strong>in</strong>ued to contribute her time <strong>and</strong> expertisetoward ref<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> field sampl<strong>in</strong>g protocols <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> CDHC’s overall coral diseaseoutbreak <strong>in</strong>vestigation response plan. Currently Dana is an assistant scientist at RSMASwork<strong>in</strong>g on Acropora spp. population monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> restoration methods <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> FloridaKeys.Email: dana.williams@noaa.govBette WillisBette is a Professor at <strong>the</strong> ARC Centre of Excellence <strong>for</strong> <strong>Coral</strong> Reef Studies <strong>and</strong> anAssociate Professor <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> School of Mar<strong>in</strong>e Biology <strong>and</strong> Aquaculture at James CookUniversity (Townsville, Australia). Her research explores questions relat<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong>biology <strong>and</strong> ecology of scleract<strong>in</strong>ian corals. Current research focuses firstly on <strong>the</strong>prevalence <strong>and</strong> ecological significance of coral disease on <strong>the</strong> Great Barrier Reef, <strong>and</strong>secondly on <strong>the</strong> implications of flexibility <strong>in</strong> algal endosymbiosis <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> physiology of<strong>the</strong> coral host, particularly <strong>in</strong> relation to <strong>the</strong>rmal tolerance <strong>and</strong> climate change. She is aCo-Chair of <strong>the</strong> GEF Work<strong>in</strong>g Group on <strong>Coral</strong> <strong>Disease</strong> (Targeted Research <strong>and</strong> CapacityBuild<strong>in</strong>g <strong>for</strong> Management program), a primary goal of which is a global assessment <strong>in</strong>to<strong>the</strong> causes, orig<strong>in</strong>s <strong>and</strong> impacts of coral disease worldwide.Email: bette.willis@jcu.edu.auWendy WiltseWendy is an environmental scientist with US EPA Region 9 <strong>in</strong> Honolulu where sheworks on coral reef, wetl<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> water quality management. Wendy has worked on arange of EPA’s water quality management programs, coord<strong>in</strong>ated a watershedmanagement project on Maui, <strong>and</strong> is active <strong>in</strong> Hawaii’s Local <strong>Action</strong> Strategy to addressl<strong>and</strong>-based pollution threats to coral reefs. She’s worked <strong>in</strong> Hawaii <strong>for</strong> over 12 years.Wendy has a Ph.D. <strong>in</strong> Mar<strong>in</strong>e Ecology from <strong>the</strong> University of Massachusetts.Email: wiltse.wendy@epa.gov306

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