Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

Senior Vice President of Research & Zoological Operations

Leading the exceptional Mystic Aquarium research team is Dr. Tracy Romano, a founder of the field of marine mammal neuroimmunology and leader in the field of marine mammal health. After receiving her PhD in 1993 from the University of Rochester, School of Medicine, Tracy was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship through the National Research Council to investigate the marine mammal immune system and the impact of stress and the environment on marine mammal health. These studies were carried out in collaboration with the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program and The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. After her postdoc, Tracy was awarded $1 million in grant money to establish a research laboratory focused on studying stress and the immune system at the U.S. Navy facility. Some of Tracy’s main research accomplishments include: the first cloning and molecular characterization of Dolphin CD4 (an important immune recognition molecule and receptor for HIV), the finding that the majority of dolphin T cells express class II molecules (which is unique to dolphins), field studies of the beluga and bowhead whales in the Arctic, studies that addressed the effects of loud sound and changes in water temperature on the health of dolphins, and participation in a study mandated by Congress to understand how repeated chase and encirclement with tuna nets impacts the health of dolphins in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (CHESS experiments). Tracy moved her laboratory and research program to Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in spring 2004 to assume the role of Vice President of Research and Veterinary Services. She is currently the Senior Vice President of Research & Zoological Operations at the Aquarium.

Veterinarian Emeritus

Dr. J. Lawrence Dunn is a leader and pioneer of marine mammal medicine and research. He attended the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and received his VMD in 1973. He served as the staff veterinarian for the aquarium from 1973-2008. Dr. Dunn has provided Aquatic Animal Health Consultant Services to nearly thirty public and private aquariums and federal and state government agencies. He has held numerous national and international office and committee posts relating to marine mammal medicine and has given over 100  presentations at universities, symposia and conferences on the subject of aquatic animal disease and medicine. His research and professional interests include infectious disease, aquatic animal medicine, marine mammal reproduction and strandings. Dr. Dunn has mentored multiple students who have become successful veterinarians and researchers in the aquatic animal health field.

Assistant Director of Research and Animal Care

Dr. Lisa Mazzaro received her PhD in nutrition in 1995 from the University of Connecticut in conjunction with Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. Lisa brings a unique skill set to the Research Department, in that she has a full understanding of animal husbandry issues and animal behavior having worked in the Husbandry Department at the Aquarium for 9 years prior. She also was in charge of the Seal Rehabilitation Clinic for two years. Lisa is currently a Research Scientist in the Department of Research and Veterinary Services and maintains an Assistant Professor in Residence Appointment in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Connecticut. She serves as the nutrition adviser for the Marine Mammal Taxon Advisory Group. Some of her research accomplishments include nutritional studies on Steller sea lions, the study of iron storage disease in fur seals, vitamin A and E metabolism in pinnipeds, and the lack of a need to supplement salt in the diet of penguins housed in fresh water.

Animal Management Specialist

Gayle Sirpenski has a longstanding history with Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, having first served as an interpreter in the Education Department in 1979. She was also a Senior Aquarist and Lab Technician, supervising staff in the daily care and management of marine mammals, penguins, and fishes, as well as water quality analysis. Since 1991, Gayle has been a member of the Research and Veterinary Services Department with the critical role and title of Animal Management Specialist. Her responsibilities include the management of all animal medical records and inventories, ensuring that the aquarium is compliant with all state and federal government permit and regulatory requirements, and acting as the liaison with other institutions regarding animal transfers, loan agreements and management programs. She manages the biological sample requisition and distribution and is responsible for monitoring the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee as well as chairing the Mystic Aquarium Intern Advisory Board. Gayle has been a member of the American Zoo & Aquarium Association (AZA) since 1990 and is active on numerous conservation and animal management committees. She is a member of the Marine Mammal Taxon Advisory Group and a founding member of the Penguin Taxon Advisory Group and the African Penguin Species Survival Plan (SSP). These committees evaluate the need for captive propagation and management of a group of related species, as well as facilitate programs and research projects that address health issues and promote in situ conservation.

Staff Veterinarian & Director of Animal Care

Dr. Allison Tuttle graduated with a DVM from North Carolina State University in 2002. Following graduation, Allison completed a 2-year Internship in Aquatic Animal Medicine at Mystic Aquarium. Allison also completed a Residency in Zoological Medicine with an Aquatic Health Management focus at North Carolina State University in 2007. During the residency, Allison was part of a team providing medical care to the 3 North Carolina Aquariums, the North Carolina Zoological Park, the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Hospital and for stranded marine mammals along the North Carolina coast. Allison returned to Mystic Aquarium in fall 2007 to assume the role of Staff Veterinarian and Director of Animal Care and enjoys providing medical care to the wide variety of species housed at the Aquarium. She is also involved with clinical research pertaining to the health of our animal collection. Allison’s main medical interests relate to infectious disease and preventative medicine.

Research Scientist

Dr. Tracey Spoon earned her PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of California Davis in 2002. Based on her interests in understanding the complexities of successful reproduction of animals in captivity as a conservation measure, her dissertation research focused on the importance of mate compatibility in mate choice, the coordination of parental care, and a pair’s ultimate reproductive success in cockatiels. After completing her doctoral work, she conducted postdoctoral research examining the genetics of breeding systems and population dynamics in tropical and invasive plants and mate choice and population genetics in threatened populations of diamondback terrapins. Dr. Spoon also holds an Adjunct Professor position in the Department of Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She joined the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration team in January 2008 to characterize and assess the immune system of marine mammals.

Veterinary Intern

Claire Erlacher graduated with a DVM from the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2008. During veterinary school, Claire spent her summer vacations and much of her allotted clinical time completing veterinary externships at aquariums and zoos including: SeaWorld in Orlando, The Marine Mammal Center, Mote Marine Laboratory, Miami Seaquarium, The Florida Aquarium, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, and Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Claire also obtained further zoological medicine experience by participating in veterinary short-courses including: SeaVet, MARVET, and the NWRA Wildlife Medicine Course. Following graduation, Claire completed a small animal veterinary internship at Hollywood Animal Hospital in Hollywood, Florida before being accepted as our current veterinary intern at Mystic Aquarium. Claire is interested in pursuing a veterinary career working at an aquarium with a strong conservation, research, and rehabilitation program.

Lab Manager

Amy DelMonaco graduated in 1991 from Roger Williams University with a BS in Marine Biology and a minor in chemistry. She worked in a chemistry lab from 1991-1993 running assays on finished products and releasing them for use, stability testing, and R&D on new products. She was a volunteer at the Mystic Aquarium since 1990, working in the water quality lab and with the education department. She was hired in 1993, and, since then, was promoted to Senior Lab Technician. Her responsibilities include overseeing and running the clinical laboratory, conducting water quality testing, managing the research laboratory and assisting with various research projects.

Postdoctoral Fellow   

Dr. Cara Field received her DVM and PhD in Comparative Pathology from the University of California Davis in 2005. Her dissertation research involved examining the effects of high pressure and rapid decompression on blood platelets from the deep-diving Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris), and comparing the responses of these cells to those of human platelets. During veterinary school, Cara completed externships at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA, Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, FL, and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, within UC Davis’s Wildlife Health Program. Following graduation, worked as a staff veterinarian at the Humane Society of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa, CA (a combination animal shelter and full-service veterinary hospital), before joining the Research team at the Aquarium in July 2006 as a post-doctoral fellow working on the marine-origin Brucella project. Cara completed the clinical veterinary internship program at Mystic Aquarium from 2007-2008, then was awarded a fellowship from NOAA's OHHI program to further study the intracellular cytopathic effects of marine Brucells on human and marine mammal cells.

Research Fellow

Graduating in 2006, Laura holds a BSc in Marine and Freshwater Biology from the University of London. Laura first came to the aquarium as a RAVS intern during the summer of 2005, working on the identification and quantification of different lymphocytes in wild bottlenose dolphins. Since then, she has also worked as an assistant in the marine mammal and sea turtle stranding program and as a technician on multiple aspects of the marine origin Brucella project. She is currently a part of the marine origin Brucella project including serology, microbiology and PCR.  In 2008 she was accepted into the oceanographic program at UCONN, Avery Point with the opportunity to conduct her research at Mystic Aquarium.  She is currently persuing a PhD with an interest in diving behavior and health.

Administrative Assistant

Stephanie began working in the Research department in December 2007. She is responsible for tracking purchase orders, maintaining the busy meeting schedule for Dr. Romano and in general, keeping the staff organized and informed. And Stephanie does it all with a smile.