Brenda Ballachey, Ph.D.
Population status and indices of population condition; population, physiological and ecological effects of oil exposure on marine mammals and coastal ecosystems; environmental toxicology, physiology and genetics of marine mammals.
Professional Experience
2016 - Present Research Physiologist Emeritus, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1990 - 2016 Research Physiologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1989 - 1990 Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1987 - 1989 Staff Officer, Board on Agriculture, National Research Council, Washington, D.C.
1986 - 1987 Research Associate, Department of Chemistry, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota
1985 - 1985 Instructor, Department of Animal Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
1981 - 1985 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Animal Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
1977 - 1980 Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1985 Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Animal Breeding and Genetics
M.S. 1980 Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO Animal Sciences
B.S. 1974 Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO Animal Science
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society for Marine Mammalogy
The Wildlife Society
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Science and Products
Synthesis of nearshore recovery following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill: sea otter liver pathology and survival in Western Prince William Sound, 2001 – 2008
Quantifying long-term risks to sea otters from the 1989 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill: reply to Harwell & Gentile (2013)
Long-term effects of the 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill: Sea otter foraging in the intertidal as a pathway of exposure to lingering oil
Variations of transcript profiles between sea otters Enhydra lutris from Prince William Sound, Alaska, and clinically normal reference otters
Gene transcription in sea otters (Enhydra lutris); development of a diagnostic tool for sea otter and ecosystem health
Cytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of the timeline of chronic exposure of Barrow’s goldeneyes to residual Exxon Valdez oil
Could residual oil from the Exxon Valdez spill create a long-term population "sink" for sea otters in Alaska?
Trends in sea otter population abundance in western Prince William Sound, Alaska: Progress toward recovery following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
Modeling the Effects of Mortality on Sea Otter Populations
PCB exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Cytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of oil exposure in harlequin ducks up to 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Stress-related hormones and genetic diversity in sea otters (Enhydra lutris)
Science and Products
Synthesis of nearshore recovery following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill: sea otter liver pathology and survival in Western Prince William Sound, 2001 – 2008
Quantifying long-term risks to sea otters from the 1989 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill: reply to Harwell & Gentile (2013)
Long-term effects of the 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill: Sea otter foraging in the intertidal as a pathway of exposure to lingering oil
Variations of transcript profiles between sea otters Enhydra lutris from Prince William Sound, Alaska, and clinically normal reference otters
Gene transcription in sea otters (Enhydra lutris); development of a diagnostic tool for sea otter and ecosystem health
Cytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of the timeline of chronic exposure of Barrow’s goldeneyes to residual Exxon Valdez oil
Could residual oil from the Exxon Valdez spill create a long-term population "sink" for sea otters in Alaska?
Trends in sea otter population abundance in western Prince William Sound, Alaska: Progress toward recovery following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill
Modeling the Effects of Mortality on Sea Otter Populations
PCB exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Cytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of oil exposure in harlequin ducks up to 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Stress-related hormones and genetic diversity in sea otters (Enhydra lutris)
*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