Smolowitz, D.V.M., Roxanne

Dr. Roxanne Smolowitz graduated from Purdue University, School of Veterinary Medicine in 1981.  She finished a residency in pathology at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, Boston, MA, in 1984 and a Bang Fellowship at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in 1987 where she studied hemocytic leukemia in soft shell clams.  From 1987 to 1989, she was a guest researcher with Dr. John Stegeman (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) and studied pollutant effects resulting in P 450 enzyme induction in tissues of fish (especially salmon exposed to the Valdez oil spill).  In 1988, she was hired by the Laboratory for Aquatic Animal Medicine and Pathology, University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary School, located at the MBL.  She worked for several years as an aquatic pathologist and conducted research projects on diseases of aquatic animals.  In 1999, she was hired by the MBL as the Laboratory Animal Veterinarian and as an associate researcher.  From 2008 to 2009, she was the Director of Animal Health at the New England Aquarium.  In 2009, she became the director of a new Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory (ADL) at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. In addition to teaching duties at RWU, Dr. Smolowitz has taught invertebrate anatomy and medicine for Aquavet  and Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and fish anatomy and physiology at Tufts for several years. Her research has included understanding the pathogenesis and epidemiology of diseases of commercially important bivalves and other invertebrates, and various species of fish, especially those used in the laboratory.  A major focus of research has been the identification and description of shell disease, especially Epizootic Shell Disease (ESD) that occurs in populations of American lobsters and the pathophysiology of infection of hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) by a protistian, QPX, development of diagnostic test methods for bivalves and evaluation of pathogenic Vibrio spp. accumulation levels in oysters and clams. Programs: Importan Aspects of the Anatomy and Physiology of Ornamental Fishes