Professor, Aquatic, Wildlife, and Zoological Medicine, NC State University
Graduate Faculty, School of Public Health, UNC-CH
Dr. Lewbart is a diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine and the European College of Zoological Medicine and in 2007 was named Exotic DVM of the Year by Exotic DVM Magazine. In 2012 he received the William Medway Award for Excellence in Teaching from the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine. He has made more than ten trips to the Galapagos doing fieldwork on a wide variety of species.
Under the leadership of Dr. Ken Lohmann, Dr. Lewbart is a part of an international team of scientists studying the health of Galápagos wildlife. Their first project involved the health assessment of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). They published that work in 2014 and have been expanding the scope of their efforts, including many collaborators, since this time. None of this work would be possible without the permission and support of the Galápagos National Park (Parque Nacional Galápagos). To date our team has established baseline health parameters for the following species:
- Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
- Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
- Marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
- San Cristóbal Giant tortoise (Chelonidis chathamensis)
- Galápagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki)
- San Cristóbal lava lizard (Microlophus bivittatus)
- Red-footed booby (Sula sula)
- Blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii)
- Nazca booby (Sula granti)
- Great frigatebird (Fregata minor)
- Magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnifiscens)
- Swallowtail gull (Creagrus furcatus)
- Galápagos shearwater (Puffinus subalaris)
- Red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus)
- Galápagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus and C. pallidus)
Publications
- Valle CA, Ulloa C, Deresienski D, Regalado C, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Garcia J, Hardesty BD, Skehel A, Lewbart GA. (2020). Health status and baseline hematology, biochemistry and blood gas values of Galapagos shearwaters (Puffinus subalaris). J Zoo Wild Med 50(4):1026-1030.
- Lewbart GA, Grijalva CJ, Calle PP, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Quezada G, Vera CA, Gentile G, Valle CA. (2019). Health assessment of Conolophus subcristatus, Conolophus pallidus, and C. subcristatus X Amblyrhynchus cristatus hybrid (Galápagos land iguanas). PLoS ONE 14(10):e0222884.
- Valle CA, Grijalva CJ, Calle PP, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Quezada G, Vera CA, Lewbart GA. (2019). Methods of body temperature assessment in Conolophus subcristatus, Conolophus pallidus (Galápagos land iguanas), and Amblyrhynchus cristatus X C. subcristatus hybrid.. PeerJ 7:e6291.
- Cerreta A, Vaden SL, Lewbart GA, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Páez-Rosas D. (2019). Increased BUN and glucose in a group of San Cristóbal Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis chathamensis). Vet Rec Case Report, 7:3000699.
- Arguedas-Porras R, Lewbart GA, Deresienski D, Lohmann K, Steinberg D, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Valle CA. (2018). Haematology and biochemistry of the San Cristobal Lava Lizard (Microlophus bivittatus).. Conservation Physiology, 6(1):coy046.
- Valle CA, Ulloa C, Deresienski D, Regalado C, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Garcia J, Hardesty BD, Skehel A, Lewbart GA. (2018). Health status of great frigatebirds (Fregata minor) determined by hematology, biochemistry, blood gases, and physical examination.. Conservation Physiology, 6(1), coy034.
- Lewbart GA, Griffioen J, Savo A, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Ortega C, Loyola A, Roberts S, Schaaf G, Steinberg D, Osequeda SB, Levy MG, Páez-Rosas D. (2018). Biochemistry and hematology parameters of the San Cristóbal Galápagos tortoise.. Conservation Physiology.
- Lewbart GA, Cohen E, Hirschfeld M, Muñoz-Pérez JP, García J, Fu A, Chen EP, Lohmann KJ. (2018). Field-based radiographic imaging of marine megafauna: Marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) as a case study. Frontiers In Marine Science.
- Cerreta AJ, Lewbart GA, Diaz R, Vasquez G, Muñoz-Pérez JP, Paéz-Rosas, D. (2018). Chelonoidis chathamensis. Methods of body temperature assessment. Herp Review 49(4):696-697.
- Phillips BE, Páez-Rosas D, Flowers JR, Cullen JM, Law JM, Colitz C, Deresienski D, Lohmann KJ, Lewbart GA. (2018). Evaluation of the ophthalmic disease and histopathologic effects due to the ocular trematode Philophthalmus zalophi on juvenile Galápagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki). J Zoo Wild Med 49(3):581-590.
- Lewbart GA, Ulloa C, Deresienski D, Regalado C, Muñoz-Pérez, Garcia J, Hardesty BD, Valle CA. (2017). Health status of red-footed boobies (Sula sula) determined by hematology, biochemistry, blood gases, and physical examination. J Zoo Wild Med 48(4):1230-1233.
- Muñoz-Pérez JP, Lewbart GA, Hirschfeld M, Denkinger J, Castañeda JG, García J, Lohmann KJ. (2017). Blood gases, biochemistry, and haematology of Galápagos hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). Conservation Physiology 5(1):cox028.
- Lewbart GA, Valle C, Muñoz-Perez J. (2017). Microlophus indefatigabilis diet. Herp Review 48(4):851-852.
- Lewbart GA, Hirschfeld M, Ricuarte O, Lohmann KJ. (2017). Amblyrhynchus cristatus diet. Herp Review 48(2):439.
- Paéz-Rosas D, Hirschfeld M, Deresienski D, Lewbart GA. (2016). Health status of Galápagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) on San Cristobal Island rookeries determined by hematology, biochemistry, blood gases, and physical examination. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 52(1):100-105.
- Lewbart GA, Hirschfeld M, Muñoz J, Denkinger J, Vinueza L, Brothers JR, García J, Lohmann. (2015). Blood gases, biochemistry, and hematology of marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). Conservation Physiology 3(1):cov034.
- Lewbart GA, Hirschfeld M, Denkinger J, Vasco K, Guevara N, García J, Muñoz J, Lohmann, KJ. (2014). Blood gases, biochemistry, and hematology of Galápagos green turtles (Chelonia mydas). PLoS ONE. 9(5): e96487.