About
Dr. Kathi Lefebvre is a research biologist at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. She is also an Affiliate Associate Professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. Kathi received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her work promoting the conservation of endangered fish stocks, the development of a model for studying the impacts of algal toxin exposure on fish as well as marine mammals, and for outreach efforts to foreign scientists, policy makers and fisheries managers. She leads the Wildlife Algal-Toxin Research Response Network (WARRN-West). This network consists of multiple partners representing local, state, and federal organizations, academic institutions, private institutions, native communities, and health agencies (https://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/research/divisions/efs/warrnwest/). WARRN-West provides surveillance for the presence, exposure risks and health impacts of harmful algal toxins in marine wildlife ranging from the Arctic Ocean to Southern California. In addition to wildlife health studies, Kathi also collaborates with UW faculty and students through NIH-funded research on exposure risks, human health impacts, and the development of diagnostic biomarkers of acute and chronic algal toxin exposure.