AVIAN ATLAS OF ANATOMY
In association with Dr. Scott Echols (DVM), and the Grey Parrot Anatomy Project, this research is aimed at describing the respiratory system of the African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus). This project is funded in part by the Association of Avian Veterinarians
Right: Segmented surface model of an adult African grey parrot thorax and lower respiratory system from Lawson et al. (2021).
We have recently teamed up with the Red-tailed Hawk Project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and are working on the anatomy of Buteo Jamaicensis
Impact of obesity on lungs in birds
Led by former Schachner Lab trainee Dr. Aracely Martinez in collaboration with Dr. Scott Echols (DVM), this project is evaluated the relationship between visceral obesity in multiple species and its impact on avian air sacs.
Left: Segmented surface model of an adult morbidly obese live (sedated) Andean Condor from Martinez et al. (2026).
Read the open access manuscript here.
Pulmonary disease in the domestic cat (in collaboration with Auburn University College of Vet Medicine)
Both round worms (Toxocara cati) and heart worms (Dirofilaria immitis) cause significant damage to the otherwise healthy lungs of cats. Respiratory lung disease was induced in cats through experimental exposure to heart worms (D. immitis) at Auburn University. CT scans were taken before and after infection to evaluate the extent of the damage (along with histological sections), and models were created to visually convey the extent and intensity of the damage in three dimensions. Similar methods were applied to a different set of cats using T. cati, in order to compare the type of pulmonary damage to the D. immitis cats.
VETERINARY CLINICAL RESEARCH