Robert "Oz" Ossiboff

Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Parker
Current Position: Clinical Associate Professor, University of Florida

Brief Biography
Robert Ossiboff, though known to most by Oz, is a veterinary anatomic pathologist, molecular diagnostician, and virologist who specializes in diseases of reptiles and amphibians. He is currently a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine where he serves as the director of the Aquatic, Amphibian, and Reptile Pathology Service. Oz graduated from the combined DVM/PhD program at Cornell University in 2010, followed by an anatomic pathology residency at Cornell (2010-2012), zoo and molecular pathology fellowships at the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo (2012-2014), and a wildlife pathology postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell (2014-2016). He was briefly a member of the Zoo Pathology Program at the University of Illinois, before starting at the University of Florida in 2017. His research interests include identifying and characterizing reptile and amphibian viruses, as well as more general pathogen discovery and characterization of captive and free-ranging wildlife.

Education
Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Pathologists, 2013
DVM, Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 2010
PhD, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, 2008 
BS, Biology, Loyola University, 2004.

Publications & Presentations

For more publications, please see ORCiD profile and ResearchGate profile

Lo, M., P.R. Badial, P.M. DiGeronimo, E.M. Littman, N. Aquilino, T. Stokol, N.I. Stacy, R.J. Ossiboff. 2025. Acute myeloid leukemia in a genetically related captive population of axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum). Vet Pathol. 2025 May 26:3009858251341540. doi: 10.1177/03009858251341540

Badial, P.R., W. Laovechprasit, C. Laue, B.A. Stacy, J.B. Stanton, K. Subramaniam, R.J. Ossiboff. 2024. Piscichuvirus-associated meningoencephalomyelitis in a free-ranging American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Vet Pathol. 2024 Dec 7:3009858241300559. doi: 10.1177/03009858241300559

Tenorio, M., S. Cruz-Ruiz, S. Encarnación-Guevara, M. Hernández, J.A. Corona-Gomez, F. Sheccid-Santiago, J. Serwatowska, S. López-Perdomo, C.D. Flores-Aguirre, D.M. Arenas-Moreno, R.J. Ossiboff, F. Méndez-de-la-Cruz, S.L. Fernandez-Valverde, M. Zurita, K. Oktaba, D. Cortez. 2024. MAYEX is an old long noncoding RNA recruited for X chromosome dosage compensation in a reptile. Science. 2024 Sep 20;385(6715):1347-1354. doi: 10.1126/science.adp1932

Tillis, S.B., S.B. Chaney, E.E.V. Crouch, D. Boyer, K. Torregrosa, A.D. Shuter, A. Armendaris, A.L. Childress, D. McAloose, J.A. Paré, R.J. Ossiboff, K.J. Conley. 2024. Identification and Characterization of Novel Serpentoviruses in Viperid and Elapid Snakes. Viruses. 2024 Sep 17;16(9):1477. doi: 10.3390/v16091477

Gray, M.J., R.J. Ossiboff, L. Berger, M.C. Bletz, E.D. Carter, J.A. DeMarchi, L. Grayfer, D. Lesbarrères, D.A. Malagon, A. Martel, D.L. Miller, F. Pasmans, L.F. Skerratt, A.E. Towe, M.Q. Wilber. 2023. A One Health Approach to Globalizing, Accelerating, and Focusing Amphibian and Reptile Disease Research – Reflections and Opinions from the First Global Amphibian and Reptile Disease Conference. Emerg Infect Dis. 2023;29(10):1-7. doi: 10.3201/eid2910.221899

Tillis, S.B., C. Holt, S. Havens, T.D. Logan, J.G. Julander, R.J. Ossiboff. 2023. In vitro characterization and antiviral susceptibility of ophidian serpentoviruses. Microorganisms. 11:1371. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11061371

Caudill, M., T.D. Logan, A.L. Childress, V. Guzman-Vargas, K.M. Enge, L.A. Shender, R.J. Ossiboff. 2023. Multisystemic enterococcosis in brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) from Florida. J Wildl Dis. 59(2):337-341. doi: 10.7589/jwd-d-22-00045

Tillis, S.B., J.M. Josimovich, M.A. Miller, L.L. Hoon-Hanks, A. Hartmann, N.M. Claunch, M.E. Iredale, T.D. Logan, A.A. Yackel Adams, I.A. Bartoszek, J.S. Humphrey, B.M. Kluever, M.D. Stenglein, R.N. Reed, C.M. Romagosa, J.F.X. Wellehan Jr, and R.J. Ossiboff. 2022. Serpentoviruses in free-ranging invasive pythons and native colubrids in southern Florida, United States. Viruses.14(12):2726. doi: 10.3390/v14122726

Horgan, M.D., A.B. Alexander, C. Innis, B.A. Stacy, J.J. Gai, P.A. Pesavento, M.A. Highland, J. Bogan, B.L. Liguori, M.G. Hawkins, T.M. Norton, J.F.X. Wellehan, R.J. Ossiboff. 2022. Pulmonary and coelomic mycoses due to Metarhizium and Beauveria species in reptiles. J Zoo Wildl Med. 53(3): 605-612. doi: 10.1638/2021-0081

Weisbrod, T.C., A.B. Jeon, A.L. Childress, D.B. Pouder, J. Castellanos-Gell, N.I. Stacy, H.D.S. Walden, M.M. Garner, R.P.E. Yanong, R.J. Ossiboff. 2021. Gastrointestinal entamoebiasis in captive anurans in North America. Dis Aquat Org. 143:109-118. doi: 10.3354/dao03560