Kate S. Freeman, MEM, DVM, Dipl. ACVO

“Ocean health is crucial to our planet and species’ survival, and we are at a critical juncture where we need to focus significant resources on reversing marine acidification and pollution to enable our beautiful marine wildlife to remain bountiful and healthy.”

Dr. Kate Freeman has been passionate about marine mammal conservation since she was in high school in Carpinteria, California.  While she was a marine mammal stranding volunteer and working at a marine mammal lab in Wilmington, N.C., she was introduced to Dr. Frances Gulland, a former Senior Scientist at The Marine Mammal Center, and set her sights on working at the Center in the future. In 2008, she externed at the Center and fell in love with its mission, and the animals the Center cares for. She is eager to return in an official capacity as a relief veterinarian.

Kate’s other passion is eyeballs, and during her residency in ophthalmology, she spent more time at the Center studying the ocular health of marine mammals. She has spent the past 10 years working in private practice as well as academia (assistant and now affiliate professor at Colorado State University) and has remained focused on marine mammal medicine and conservation, working at various marine facilities in Northern California.

Kate received her bachelor’s degree in environmental health from Brown University, her master’s concentrating on marine conservation and ecology from Duke University, her DVM focusing on wildlife medicine from NC State University, and her diplomate status in veterinary ophthalmology from her training at UC Davis.  

When not on clinics, Kate is frequently found rollerblading the parks of San Francisco with one of her two children and two huskies in tow.

Areas of Expertise

• Wildlife Health 
• Marine Conservation and Ecology
• Environmental Health and Toxicology
• Ophthalmology