This story was originally published as a press release by the Seattle Aquarium.
The Aquarium is honored to present Dr. Heather Harris with the Seattle Aquarium’s 2025 Conservation Research Award for her conservation work and innovative research protecting sea turtles. Since 2004, this award has honored individuals who are leaders and innovators in marine conservation research by recognizing them for their dedication to advancing our knowledge of ocean and coastal health, as well as inspiring others to become ocean advocates and the next generation of conservation researchers.
“This award is especially meaningful to me because this research is my passion project,” Dr. Harris says. “This acknowledgment is so deeply appreciated because it shines a light on the sea turtles living in our backyard.”
The research she leads at Upwell, a nonprofit organization in central California, investigates local and global health threats to federally protected sea turtles, exposure to pollutants and biotoxins, and health impacts related to climate change.
“The Seattle Aquarium has been an important partner in these efforts, providing valuable expertise for sea turtle stranding response in the Pacific Northwest and contributing data to our collaborative research so we can collectively learn as much as possible about the health threats to turtles off our coast,” Dr. Harris says.
Dr. Harris is a wildlife veterinarian with a specialty in marine ecosystem health and preventive medicine. She uses an integrative One Health approach to study sea turtles and marine mammals as sentinels for ocean and human health at the land-sea interface from remote Pacific islands to Antarctica.
“As marine reptiles, sea turtles are like a barometer for changing ocean conditions, telling us in real time what’s happening out there when they wash ashore in northern latitudes,” Dr. Harris explains. “The goal of this research is to understand their underlying health conditions so we can try to improve their clinical care and survival outcomes.”
Dr. Harris leads the sea turtle health research program at Upwell, serves as associate veterinarian at The Marine Mammal Center, and is on the faculty at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She has a DVM in Veterinary Medicine and MPVM in Wildlife Disease Ecology from the University of California, Davis, and a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a board-certified diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.
“The more I learn about these animals, the more fascinated I become, particularly for the magnificent leatherback turtles. They still take my breath away after two decades of working with them,” Dr. Harris says. “They’ve been around since the time of the dinosaurs! And hopefully they’re resilient enough to continue to be around, long after us.”
Since 2005, Dr. Harris has served as the lead contract veterinarian for the NOAA Marine Turtle Program, where she provides veterinary support to build capacity for sea turtle stranding response in the west coast region, including Washington, and conducts collaborative sea turtle health research with federal, state, and non-profit partners.
“These are uncertain times, particularly with federal funding, which is forcing all of us to be creative about how to move this research forward,” she says. “That’s where nonprofits like Seattle Aquarium and Upwell come in, to serve as critical partners working with agencies to advance science and conservation efforts for these threatened and endangered species who share our coast.”
You can learn more about Dr. Harris and her work with Upwell in the Aquarium’s upcoming episode of Lightning Talks: Sea Turtles, streaming live for free on Youtube on Thursday, December 11 at 6pm PT.