Zachary Forbes
Zach is an amateur nature photographer, biologist, and aspiring veterinarian
Zach was introduced to the beauty of the natural world by his family at a young age. He grew up in New England constantly exploring lush woodlands, rocky coastlines, swamps, and salt marshes. His innate wonder developed into a deep passion for animals and nature, and later, an avid interest in biological systems. He started doing photography in 2016 to help deal with chronic pain resulting from a spinal injury, and quickly grew fond of capturing intimate encounters with wildlife or memorable scenery on his travels. His photography helped solidify his love for to the natural world, which led him to become a biologist and dedicate his life to working with and serving animals.
Zach achieved a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2021 from Roger Williams University. While attending RWU, he spent 3 years working under the guidance of a veterinary pathologist on various research projects in the Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory, where he mastered the essentials of molecular biology and microbiology. After graduation, he remained in the lab for another year as a technician, conducting several research projects resulting in a publication and a presentation at an international conference. Zach’s exposure to the world of veterinary pathology really peaked his interest in medicine, and he transitioned to the world of small animal clinics in October 2022, where he has happily been working as a veterinary assistant ever since. Zach’s favorite thing to do is working to serve animals, whether direct care in the medical setting or through progressive research on vulnerable populations. Zach is applying to veterinary school in Summer 2023 with the hope of becoming a veterinarian, so that he can continue to make an impact on animal groups.
My research
My work has centered on sea turtle microbiomes and diseases of marine bivalves. I published my first paper, an analysis of the gut microbiomes of several species of cold-stunned sea turtles, in February 2023: doi.org/10.3354/esr01220
This work contributes novel data to the relatively new and limited field of sea turtle microbiomes. Our goal is that understanding microbiome composition in relation to health status can lead to improvement of rehabilitation treatments. This research is ongoing, and we are currently working on another paper analyzing different populations of loggerheads.
I have also worked on many projects relating to marine bivalve pathology, and have experience with diseases such as dermo, MSX, SSO, QPX, JOD, grey meat disease, and vibrio. I presented original research describing the hemocyte morphology and expression of key cancer-related proteins in hard clams infected with hemocytic neoplasia, a contagious leukemic-like disease, at the Aquaculture 2022 Conference (see more here).
My Skills
I have extensive diagnostic experience with a strong base in molecular biology and cytology. I am highly proficient with DNA extractions, PCR and qPCR, tissue collection, cytology slide preparation and examination, histological sectioning, and microbiome data analysis. My time in the diagnostic lab also provided me with many unique experiences, such as the preparation and analysis of sea turtle fecal flotation slides for parasites, maintaining a research population of marine bivalves and monitoring them for neoplasia infection, handling and tagging wild loggerhead turtles, practicing euthanasia of aquatic animals, and assisting with or performing necropsies.
I’m currently working as a veterinary assistant in a small animal clinic and have been trained in many technical skills, including venipuncture, vaccination and subcutaneous drug injections, radiology, cystocentesis, IV catheter placement, laser therapy, subcutaneous fluid administration, ear cytology, labwork, and pharmacology. I try to put a lot of emphasis on fear-free handling.