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Nicole Lewis, MS, DVM

Senior Research Associate, Section of Wildlife

Department of Clinical Sciences

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
930 Campus Road
Ithaca, NY 14853

Fax: 607-253-3271
Email: nll46@cornell.edu

Profile

Research/Clinical Interests

  1. Snow leopard conservation
  2. Wildlife conservation and One Health initiatives

Education

  1. 2013 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada
  2. 2012 MS Veterinary Epidemiology Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada - Thesis Title: Analysis of simulated outbreak data and spatial analysis of highly pathogenic avian influenza for preparedness planning and policy
  3. 2006 BS Animal Science, High Honors, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Truro, NS, Canada

Biography/Professional Experience

Nicole Lewis is a wildlife veterinarian who provides contract wildlife veterinary services to local, state, and federal government, nonprofits, zoos, aquariums, colleges and more. She has a BS in Animal Health (2006), MS in veterinary epidemiology (2012) and received her DVM in 2013 at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Prior to starting her own contract business, she worked in mixed animal practice, state government as a field veterinarian for the NJ Department of Agriculture and was the state wildlife veterinarian for NJ Fish and Wildlife and has worked in exotic pet practice. She has worked with threatened turtle species in New Jersey and in Bangladesh assisting with turtles and tortoises confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade so they may be rewilded and partnered with researchers in Nepal and Bhutan to study pathogens in snow leopards using a One Health approach. 

Professional/Academic Affiliations

  • 2023-present   Associate Editor Journal of Wildlife Diseases
  • 2023-present   Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians, member
  • 2023-present   American Association of Zoo veterinarians, member
  • 2022-present   American Veterinary Medical Association, member
  • 2020-present   The Wildlife Society, member and former newsletter editor for the Northeast Section
  • 2019-present   American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, member
  • 2018-present   Wildlife Disease Association, member

Publications

Selected Publications

Lewis N.L., Getto S., Zarate B., Pignatelli J., Lind C., Wu M. 2025. Multifactorial Ulcerative Shell Disease in Northern Red-bellied Cooters (Pseudomys rubriventris) in Southern NJ. Submitted to Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

Lewis N.L., Raut R., Chaudhary A., Manandhar P., Shrestha S., Rajbhandari R., Nepali S., Sadaula A., Tenzing Lama P., Shrestha B., Janecka J.E., Karmacharya D. 2026. Non-invasive health assessment of Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia) in Nepal. J Wildl Dis 62(3):696-701.

Narvaez Z.E., Egizi A.M., Yabsley M.J., Thompson A.T., Moustafa M., Alt E., Bickerton M., Bjorgo K., Butler R.A., Cumbie A., Eastwood G., Falco R.C., Fonseca D.M., Hang J., Harper V.L., Lewis N., Lovy J., Maestas L.P., Mather T.N., Nakao R., Occi J.L., Rainey T., Sal M., Stoops C.A., Trout-Fryxell R.T, Watson W, Wagner N.E, Zheng A., Saelao P., Price D.C. 2025. Multiple Introductions of the Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) to the United States Revealed Using Mitogenomics. Ecol Evol 15(4):e71312.

Greening S.S., Ellis J.C., Lewis N.L., Needle D.B., Tato C.M., Richards B.J., Knowles S, Shearn-Bochsler V, Miller J.L., Grear D.A., Lorch J.M., Blehert D.S., Burrell C, Murphy L.A., Miller E.A., Ogbunugafor C.B., Ayala A.J., Mwakibete L, Kirchgessner M, Casey C, Barton E, Yabsley M.J., Anis E, Gagne R.B., Klein P, Driscoll C, Sykes C, Poppenga R, Nemeth N.M. 2025. An enigmatic wild passerine mortality event in the Eastern United States. Veterinary Sciences 12, 48.

Bartlett S.L., Seimon T.A., Raphael B, Lewis N.L., Zarate B, and Nightingale B. 2025. Adenoviruses in Wild Bog Turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) of the Northeastern United States. J Wildl Dis 61(2), 496-502.

Lewis N.L., Ware C., Griffin M. 2023. First reported case of Edwardsiella tarda in a common loon. J Wildl Dis. 59(4):804-806.

Lewis N.L., Zarate B., Wnek J., Wurst B. 2023. Health assessment of wild Diamond-backed terrapins (Malaclemys t. terrapin) in New Jersey, USA. J Wildl Dis. 59(2):234-244.

Friend S.E., Lewis N.L., Lovy J. 2021. Myxozoan parasites vary in river herring according to life history stage and habitat. Parasitology Research 120:3709–3723. *Equal contribution between the first two authors

Lewis N.L., Nichols T.C., Lilley C., Roscoe D.E., Lovy J. 2021. Blood-lead Declines in Wintering American Black Ducks in New Jersey Following the Lead Shot Ban. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 12(1)174-182.

Lovy J., Lewis N.L., Friend S.E., Able K.W., Shaw M.J., Hinks G.S., Clarke P.J. 2020. Host, seasonal and habitat influences on incidence of Lernaeenicus radiatus (Copepoda: Pennellidae) in the mid-Atlantic Bight. Marine Ecology Progress Series 642:83-101.

Lovy J., Friend S.E., Lewis N.L. 2019. Seasonal intestinal coccidiosis in wild bluegill Lepomis macrochirus is association with a spring bacterial epizootic. Journal of Fish Diseases. 42(12) 1697-1711.

Beard C.B., Occi J., Bonilla D.L., Egizi A.M., Fonseca D.M., Mertins J.W., Backenson B.P., Bajwa W.I., Barbarin A.M., Bertone M.A., Brown J., Connally N.P., Connell N.D., Eisen R.J, Falco R.C., James A.M., Krell R.K., Lahmers K., Lewis N.L., Little S.E., Halperin W. 2018. Multistate Infestation with the Exotic Disease-Vector Tick Haemaphysalis longicornis - United States, August 2017-September 2018. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 67(47), 1310–1313.    

Lewis N.L., Sanchez J., Dubé C., Vanleeuwen J. 2015. Assessment of Effectiveness of Control Strategies Against Simulated Outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.

Lewis N.L, Martinson S., Wadowska D., Desmarchelier M. 2015. Malignant mixed chromatophoroma with cutaneous, pulmonary and testicular metastasis in a veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus). Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery. 25 (1-2):16-20.

Lovy J., Lewis N.L., Hershberger P.K., Bennet W., Meyers T., Garver K.A. 2012. Viral tropism and pathology associated with viral hemorrhagic septicemia in larval and juvenile Pacific herring from British Columbia. Veterinary Microbiology. 161: 66-76.