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Dr. Marianne Lian, DVM, MS, PhD

mlian@alaska.edu

Originally from Norway, I graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Copenhagen in 2012, and worked for 1.5 years in clinical practice, before focusing full time on wildlife health and research. After completing a Fulbright Fellowship with Alaska Dept of Fish and Game developing a new anesthesia protocol for caribou, I started a PhD at University of �山���� (UAF), which I completed in 2020.

I have documented wildlife capture and improving chemical immobilizations and wildlife anesthesia for several species. Additionally, my research focuses on ecotoxicology, specifically environmental contaminants in wildlife and subsistence food. I especially enjoy working in the remote wilderness in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Circumpolar North. And it gives me great pleasure to engage and mentor students in research projects.

In addition to wildlife health, I also work with sled dogs. As the Director of Drug testing for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, I review canine specimens for illegal doping.

I started working as an assistant professor at Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, UAF in 2023, as course coordinator for Veterinary Clinical Toxicology, Pharmacology and Principles of Anesthesia.

When I’m not working, I enjoy skiing, canoeing, hiking and horseback riding with my family and animals.

 

Current and previous appointments

2023-present	Assistant Professor, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, University of �山����
2021 – 2023	Associated Professor, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, (Attending veterinarian for several wildlife anesthesia and surgical operations deploying bio-loggers including brown bears, moose, wolves, wolverines, pine martens, European bison, musk oxen, Svalbard reindeer. Attending veterinarian for the university’s ethical use of research animal committee. Course leader for the wildlife chemical capture course (2.5 ECTS) and wildlife population health course, (7.5 ECTS)).
2019-present	Director of Drug Testing Iditarod Sled dog Race (evaluate canine samples for illegal drug use)
2020-2021	Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, University of �山����, Sept (investigating rabies virus receptor activity and neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors).
2015-2020	Associated Faculty and course organizer for “Principles of Veterinary Anesthesia”, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, University of �山���� (mixture of organizing remote lectures and instructing recitations and labs).
2019	Teaching Assistant in “Human Anatomy and Physiology 111”, University of �山���� fall semester 2019.
2015-2018	Instructor in respiratory and cardiac physiology, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, University of �山����.
2013-2014	Fulbright Fellowship at Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, research project developing a new chemical immobilization protocol for caribou.
2012-2015	Field capture veterinarian for University of Inland Norway, working with chemical immobilization and anesthesia of moose, reindeer, bison, beavers, bears and wolves 2012 -2015, teaching sections of the Biomedicine course and developing a chemical immobilization course.
2012-2014	Veterinarian in private practice (Solør Dyreklinikk, Veterinærsenteret Midt-Troms)

 

Publications

Thomson C, Field C, Whoriskey S, McClain A, Duignan PJ, Castellini JM, Lian M, Kruse-Elliott K, Dennison S and O'Hara T. Neurological examination protocol for Harbor Seal pups. (Accepted Sept 5, 2025), Volume 12 – 2025. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1656366Frontiers in Veterinary Science, section Zoological Medicine

Montgomerie C, Lian M, Breed G, Keogh M, Kielland K. Seasonal indices of nutrition and stress in a northern population of snowshoe hares. J Comp Physiol B. 2025 Jun;195(3):359-377. doi: 10.1007/s00360-025-01617-0. Epub 2025 May 7. PMID: 40335768.

Gardoni, N., Björck, S., Morelli, J., Evans, A., Barros, DSB., Wiklund, R., Græsli, AR., Thiel, A., Arnemo, J., Lian, M. Assessment of arterial oxygenation and acid-base status before and during oxygen therapy in captive European bison (Bison bonasus) immobilized with etorphine, acepromazine and xylazine. Accepted to Front. Vet. Sci.10-2023.

Lian, M., Hueffer, K., Weltzin, M.D. Interactions between the rabies virus and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: A potential role in rabies virus induced behavior modifications. Heliyon. 2022 Aug 28;8(9):e10434. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10434. PMID: 36091963; PMCID: PMC9450143.

Mayer, M., Lian, M., Fuchs B., Robstad, C.A., Evans, A.L., Perrin, K.L., Greunz, E.M., Laske, T.G., Arnemo, J.M., Rosell, F. Mayer M, Lian M, Fuchs B, Robstad CA, Evans AL, Perrin KL, Greunz EM, Laske TG, Arnemo JM, Rosell F. Retention and loss of PIT tags and surgically implanted devices in the Eurasian beaver. BMC Vet Res. 2022 Jun 10;18(1):219. doi: 10.1186/s12917-022-03333-1. PMID: 35689280; PMCID: PMC9188177.

Magnuson, E.E, Lian, M., Latty, C.J. Simple Field Anesthesia for Free-Ranging Microtines. J Wildl Dis. 2022 Jul 1;58(3):621-624. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-21-00066. PMID: 35763606.

Kennedy SN, Keogh M, Levin M, Castellini JM, Lian M, Fadely BS, Rea LD, O'Hara TM. Regional variations and relationships among cytokine profiles, white blood cell counts, and blood mercury concentrations in Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) pups. Sci Total Environ. 2021 Jun 25;775:144894. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144894. Epub 2021 Feb 4. PMID: 33631572

Lian M, Field C, Castellini JM, Gulland FMD, O’Hara TM. Assessment of clinical outcomes associated with mercury concentrations in harbor seal pups (Phoca vitulina richardii) in central California. 2020 Science of the Total Environment 143686. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143686

Lian M, Castellini JM, Kuhn T, Rea L, Bishop L, Keogh M, Kennedy SN, Fadely B, van Wijngaarden E, Maniscalco JM, O’Hara TM. Assessing oxidative stress of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): Associations with mercury and selenium concentrations. 2020 Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry Part C: Pharmacology and Toxicology 235:108786.

Lian M, JM Castellini, D Miller, B Griff, VV Vertyankin, J Dupont, K Broker, CAJ. Godard-Codding and TM O’Hara. 2020. Assessing δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and total mercury measures in epidermal biopsies from gray whales. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:133. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00133

Lian M, Evans AE, Beckmen KB, Caulkett NA, Arnemo JM. Restraint and immobilization. In: Tryland M, Kutz S, Oksanen A, eds. Reindeer and caribou. Health and disease. Boca Raton, FL, USA: Taylor & Francis, 2018

Lian M, Johnson S, Gelatt T, O’Hara TM, Beckmen KB, Rea LD. Field anesthesia of juvenile Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) using inhalation anesthesia. Marine Mammal Science 2017 34(1) 125-135.  

Lian M, Björck S, Arnemo JM, Esteruelas NF, Angel M, Minsaas SC, Jones KL and Evans AL. Severe hypoxemia in muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) immobilized with etorphine-xylazine. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 2017 53(2) 356-360. doi.org/10.7589/2016-04-085

Lian M, Beckmen KB, Bentzen TW, Demma, DJ, Arnemo JM. Thiafentanil-azaperone-xylazine and carfentanil-xylazine immobilizations of free-ranging caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) in Alaska. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 2016 52: 327-334. doi.org/10.7589/2015-04-101  

Lian M, Evans AL, Bertelsen MF, Fahlman Å, Haga HA, Ericsson G, Arnemo JM. Improvement of Arterial Oxygenation in Free-Ranging Moose (Alces alces) Immobilized with Etorphine-Acepromazine-Xylazine. Acta Vet Skand 2014, 56:51. doi.org/10.1186/s13028-014-0051-5

Arnemo JM, Evans AL, Lian M, Os Ø. Anaesthesia of reindeer. Norwegian Veterinary Journal 2014; 2:148-51

Evans AL, Lian M, das Neves CG, Os Ø, Andersen R, Aanes R, Strand O, Tryland M, Arnemo JM. Physiological evaluation of medetomidine-ketamine anesthesia in free-ranging Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and wild Norwegian reindeer (R. t. tarandus). J Wildl Dis 2013; 49: 1037-41.