Dr. Elliott Jacobson

Elliott Jacobson, D.V.M., Ph.D., a professor emeritus of zoological medicine in the college’s department of small animal clinical sciences, has received the 2024 Pritchard Turtle Conservation Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented on behalf of Turtle Survival Alliance, IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservancy, and Turtle Conservation Fund by the Behler/Pritchard Award Committee.

“The Pritchard Award is a well-deserved testament to your important lifetime achievements in regard to leadership in veterinary research and medical treatment protocols for turtles and tortoises, notably your important publications on chelonian diseases,” wrote Anders G.J. Rhodin, founder and director of the Chelonian Research Foundation, in a letter notifying Jacobson of the honor.

An early member of the college’s faculty, Jacobson has amassed numerous national awards for his research and devotion to the field of reptile and amphibian medicine. Since his retirement from UF in 2012, he has remained actively involved in many national groups and continues to publish scientific papers in his areas of interest.