Mote Marine Laboratory

Jennifer joined the Center for Shark Research in February 2011 after completing her graduate degree in Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Her previous research focused on understanding the routes of exposure and effects of anthropogenic contaminants on wildlife, including those on Sarasota Bay, Fla., bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and South Carolina birds of prey (various species). Since arriving at Mote, Jenn’s work has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer resistance and rapid wound-healing in elasmobranch fishes with the goal of identifying therapeutics for human disease.

Ph.D. Marine Biomedicine and Environmental Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
B.S. Marine Biology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

• NIST Recognition for Contributions to NOAA Dolphin Health Assessments, 2009
• NRC Research Associate Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2009
• Best Doctoral Student Platform Presentation, March 2008
  Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium
• NIST Recognition for Excellence in Mass Stranding Response, 2005
• Best Doctoral Student Poster Presentation, March 2005
  Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium
• URI Phi Beta Kappa Membership, 2003

Yordy J, Rossman S, Ostrom PH, Reiner JL, Hughes S, Bargnesi K, Elliot J. 2011. Factors influencing exposure to organohalogen contaminants in predatory birds from coastal South Carolina, USA. In preparation.

Kucklick JR, Yordy J, Schwacke L, Wells R, Hohn A, Guichard A, Zolman E, Younge R, Litz J, Nowacek D, Rowles T, Pugh R, Balmer B, Sinclair C, and P Rosel. 2011. Bottlenose dolphins as indicators of persistent organic pollutants in the western North Atlantic ocean and northern Gulf of Mexico. In review, Environmental Science and Technology.

Kucklick JR, Pugh RS, Becker PR, Keller JM, Day R, Yordy J, Moors A, Christopher S, Bryan,C, Schwacke L, Goetz C, Wells R, Balmer BC, Hohn A, and TK Rowles. 2010. Specimen Banking for Marine Animal Health Assessment. Interdisciplinary Studies on Environmental Chemistry- Environmental Specimen Bank 4: 15-23.

Yordy J, Mollenhauer MM, Wilson R, Wells RS, Hohn A, Sweeney J, Schwacke L, Rowles T, Kucklick JR, and M Peden-Adams. 2010. Complex contaminant exposure in cetaceans: A comparative E-SCREEN analysis of bottlenose dolphin blubber and mixtures of four persistent organic pollutants. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 29: 2143-2153.

Yordy J, Schwacke L, Rowles T, Balmer B, Wells R, and J Kucklick. Contaminant partitioning between blubber and blood in wild bottlenose dolphins: Implications for biomonitoring and health. 2010. Environmental Science & Technology 44, 4789-4795.

Yordy J, Pabst DA, McLellan WA, Wells RS, and JR Kucklick. Tissue specific distribution and whole body burden estimates of persistent organic pollutants in the bottlenose dolphin. 2010. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 29: 1263-1273.

Yordy J, Wells RW, Balmer BC, Schwacke L, Rowles, T, and JR Kucklick. 2010. Life history as a source of variation for persistent organic pollutant (POP) patterns in a community of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) resident to Sarasota Bay, FL. Science of the Total Environment 408: 2163-2172.

Keller JM, Swarthout RF, Carlson BKR, Yordy J, Guichard A, Schantz MM, and JR Kucklick. 2009. Comparison of five extraction methods for measuring PCBs, PBDEs, organochlorine pesticides and lipid content in serum. Analytical & Bioanalytical Chemistry 393: 747-760.

Department: Directorate of Marine Biology & Conservation