Why are some of the most vital roles in animal care becoming the hardest to fill?
That’s the question at the heart of a new research initiative Canopy Strategic Partners is proud to be launching in partnership with Dr. Lauren Howard, a Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine® with more than two decades of experience in the zoo field.
Animal health professionals are the backbone of ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, yet zoological institutions are facing a growing workforce crisis. Burnout is rising, critical roles are taking longer to fill, and early-career talent is increasingly wary of a field they once dreamed of joining.
We’re embarking on a research project to understand what’s driving these trends and, more importantly, what it looks like when animal health teams thrive. By combining job market data with in-depth conversations — working alongside professionals and institutional leaders at every career stage — we will translate insights into practical tools and resources to help our industry build environments where talented professionals want to come, stay, and grow.
This work will strengthen recruitment, identify opportunities to support long-term career sustainability, reduce burnout, and create clear pathways for the next generation of animal health leaders. Ultimately, we seek to improve wellbeing across the field, strengthen the long-term health of the profession, and build more sustainable zoo health teams for the future.
We look forward to engaging with professionals across the field as this work gets underway and sharing more about our initial findings this summer.
Dr. Lauren Howard, Board Certified Specialist in Zoological Medicine®
About Dr. Lauren Howard: Dr. Howard brings 20+ years of experience in the field to this work, including 12 years as a clinical veterinarian at the Houston Zoo and eight years leading the veterinary team at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. She currently works with Peel Therapeutics, a biotech company applying evolutionary science to cancer research, where she helps bridge the worlds of zoological medicine and cutting-edge science.
About Canopy Strategic Partners: Canopy is a full-service planning and consulting firm dedicated to helping mission-driven organizations create a better future for the planet. We are champions of leaders, community builders, and collaborative experts. The Canopy team has completed more than 250 strategic, business, and leadership consulting projects in the last decade, and has worked directly with animal health teams on executive search & recruitment, leadership, and planning projects.
