Every patient offers an opportunity to heal, learn, and deepen our understanding of sea turtles and native wildlife. Help support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s mission of education and rehabilitation.
Advancing Sea Turtle Medicine and Wildlife Conservation
Every day injured and sick sea turtles arrive at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center in need of expert care. Helping lead that work is Dr. Jill Western, a veterinarian whose passion for wildlife conservation and aquatic medicine is advancing both patient care and research at GSTC.
Since joining GSTC in January, Dr. Jill has brought a remarkable depth of experience to the hospital, along with an enthusiasm for advancing both veterinary medicine and scientific discovery. From responding to marine mammal strandings to treating critically ill sea turtles, her career has been driven by a commitment to protecting wildlife and improving outcomes for vulnerable species.
Before joining GSTC, Dr. Jill spent a year and a half at Cornell University’s Wildlife Hospital, treating a wide variety of species and participating in fieldwork ranging from whale strandings to box turtle health assessments.
Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Jill earned her undergraduate degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences from Clemson University and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Mississippi State University. Her passion for aquatic medicine began during veterinary school while assisting with a live dolphin stranding response. That experience led to volunteer work, externships, and clinical training at marine mammal and aquatic animal facilities across the country, helping prepare her for a career focused on wildlife conservation and sea turtle health.
Since arriving at GSTC, Dr. Jill has embraced the incredible variety of cases that come through the hospital. From healthy eastern diamondback rattlesnakes receiving internal transmitters for research projects to critically ill green sea turtles requiring emergency stabilization, she enjoys the challenges and rewards that each day brings.
One of Dr. Jill’s greatest interests is research, and she has already begun incorporating new research initiatives into the hospital’s work. One case that stands out is Earl Grey, a rare hybrid sea turtle that was part loggerhead and part Kemp’s ridley. Beyond the public attention the turtle received, the case provided a unique research opportunity. Because the two species process certain pain medications differently, Earl Grey helped veterinarians gain valuable insights that may improve treatment for future patients.
As she continues her work at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Dr. Jill is committed to providing the highest standard of veterinary care while advancing research that benefits sea turtles and other wildlife. She is excited to contribute to the center’s growing impact on conservation medicine and help further its reputation as a leader in sea turtle rehabilitation, research, and education.
For Dr. Jill, every patient is an opportunity to improve care for sea turtles today while advancing knowledge that may benefit future generations. Through innovative veterinary medicine and research, she is helping strengthen GSTC’s impact on conservation and wildlife health.
You can be part of that impact. Every turtle treated, every research discovery, and every conservation success story begins with the support of people who care. Whether through a gift, participation in a Behind-the-Scenes hospital tour, the Cold-Stunned Plunge, the Turtle Crawl, or other Georgia Sea Turtle Center programs and events, your involvement directly helps save sea turtles and advance wildlife conservation.
Together, we are helping to protect endangered species, advance scientific discovery, and ensure a healthier future for our oceans.
