Rate My Professor Nahiid Stephens

Nahiid Stephens is a Lecturer in Veterinary Pathology at Murdoch University, within the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems. She holds a BSc, BVMS (Hons), PhD from Murdoch University, Membership of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in Veterinary Pathology (MANZCVS VetPath), and Diplomate status of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (Dip ACVP). Her research specializes in veterinary pathology, histopathology, anatomic pathology, and infectious diseases affecting aquatic species and wildlife, with particular emphasis on marine mammals such as Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, including cetacean morbilliviruses, freshwater skin disease, and causes of mortality linked to environmental factors.

Stephens has authored over 30 publications, accumulating nearly 700 citations. Key works include 'Cetacean Morbillivirus in Coastal Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, Western Australia' (2014, Emerging Infectious Diseases), 'Death by octopus (Macroctopus maorum): Laryngeal luxation and asphyxiation in an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)' (2017, Marine Mammal Science), 'Fresh water skin disease in dolphins: a case definition based on pathology and environmental factors in Australia' (2020), 'Streptococcus iniae associated mass marine fish kill off Western Australia' (2020), and 'Novel Haemocystidium sp. Intraerythrocytic Parasite in the Flatback (Natator depressus) and Green (Chelonia mydas) Turtle in Western Australia' (2024). Her contributions extend to reports on humpback whale health monitoring, Swan Canning Riverpark dolphin ecology, and anthropogenic trauma in Little Penguins. As a supervisor of postgraduate theses and keynote speaker at university events, she influences veterinary education and wildlife conservation, highlighting emerging diseases potentially intensified by climate change.