Heather Walsh
Dr. Heather Walsh is a Research Fish Biologist that has been involved in research at the Eastern Ecological Science Center since 2006.
Dr. Walsh has focused on developing molecular techniques to better understand mechanisms associated with disease in wild fish. To serve this purpose, she has developed her skills in histopathology, in situ hybridization techniques, and laser capture microdissection. The use of these techniques has helped to understand disease observed during fish health assessments conducted in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay (including the Susquehanna and Potomac River drainage). Much of her work has focused on fish species used as indicators of environmental contamination, including smallmouth bass, brown bullhead catfish, white suckers, and yellow perch. She also uses PCR, Sanger sequencing, Nanostring technology, and RNA-Seq to help identify parasites or pathogens, for transcript abundance analyses, and de novo transcriptome development.
Professional Experience
2022-Present: Research Fish Biologist, USGS EESC, Kearneysville, WV
2019-2022: Post-Doc Researcher, USGS EESC, Kearneysville, WV
2006-2019: Biological Science Technician/Contractor USGS EESC, Kearneysville, WV
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Forest Resource Science Program, Wildlife and Fisheries Management Major, West Virginia University, 2018
M.S., Wildlife and Fisheries Management, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 2011
B.S., Environmental Studies with a Concentration in Aquatic Science, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV, 2008
B.S., Environmental Studies with a Concentration in Aquatic Science, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV, 2008
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section
Northeast Fish Health Committee
Science and Products
Retrospective analysis of estrogenic endocrine disruption and land-use influences in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Development of a suite of functional immune assays and initial assessment of their utility in wild smallmouth bass health assessments
The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
A fishery after the decline: The Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass story
Assessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania
Assessment of skin and liver neoplasms in white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) collected in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern, Wisconsin, in 2017
Necropsy-based wild fish health assessment
Indicators of exposure to estrogenic compounds at Great Lakes Areas of Concern: Species and site comparisons
Temporal evaluation of estrogenic endocrine disruption markers in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) reveals seasonal variability in intersex
Pharmaceuticals, hormones, pesticides, and other bioactive contaminants in water, sediment, and tissue from Rocky Mountain National Park, 2012–2013
Assessment of skin and liver neoplasms in brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) collected at the Ashtabula River Area of Concern and associated reference site, Ohio, in 2016
Risk factors associated with mortality of age-0 Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
Science and Products
Retrospective analysis of estrogenic endocrine disruption and land-use influences in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Development of a suite of functional immune assays and initial assessment of their utility in wild smallmouth bass health assessments
The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
A fishery after the decline: The Susquehanna River Smallmouth Bass story
Assessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania
Assessment of skin and liver neoplasms in white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) collected in the Sheboygan River Area of Concern, Wisconsin, in 2017
Necropsy-based wild fish health assessment
Indicators of exposure to estrogenic compounds at Great Lakes Areas of Concern: Species and site comparisons
Temporal evaluation of estrogenic endocrine disruption markers in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) reveals seasonal variability in intersex
Pharmaceuticals, hormones, pesticides, and other bioactive contaminants in water, sediment, and tissue from Rocky Mountain National Park, 2012–2013
Assessment of skin and liver neoplasms in brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) collected at the Ashtabula River Area of Concern and associated reference site, Ohio, in 2016
Risk factors associated with mortality of age-0 Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government