Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient
College of Veterinary Medicine, May 12, 2025
Patrick Redig earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1974 and a PhD in physiology in 1980 from the University of Minnesota. He is the co-founder and director emeritus of The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Redig’s work on avian medicine and surgery pioneered the development of the hybrid fixator for avian orthopedic surgery and refined surgical protocols for birds undergoing anesthesia and other medicines. Dr. Redig has published his work in many professional and scholarly outlets, serving to educate thousands of veterinarians around the world. In 1991, Dr. Redig’s visionary leadership for protecting bald eagles and other wildlife from lead toxicity resulted in a nationwide ban on lead ammunition for waterfowl hunting. His trailblazing work on conservation medicine helped restore the peregrine falcon population in the upper midwest of the United States and south-central Canada, leading to its eventual removal from the national Endangered Species List in 1999. His conservation efforts for endangered birds also includes protecting the California condor population by contributing to the California Condor Recovery Team. In sum, Dr. Redig’s contributions to raptor medicine, surgery, and conservation have been groundbreaking, and his mentorship of leaders in the field ensures his remarkable work of saving and conserving countless species of raptors will continue well into the future.
Biographies are as-of time of award presentation.