Benjamin C. Victor

I have a variety of interests- fish biology, evolution, medicine, microbiology, mycology, geography, economics. I first studied fishes as an undergraduate at Cornell University, then received my PhD in population biology at the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1986 working on tropical reef fishes and the importance of recruitment and larval ecology to reef populations (in Panama and Palau). After that I continued my research on fishes, but also graduated from medical school at University of California at Irvine and then an internship at Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, California. I returned to finish a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at UC Irvine and since then I have worked as a laboratory director and consultant in medicine, mycology, and fish biology, and, for good measure, received an MBA, also from UC Irvine. I think I am done with schooling...

Despite these academic and medical peregrinations, I am involved in a variety of research projects and collaborations on fishes. My primary interest is in the larval ecology of coral reef fishes and its role in determining biogeography and population dynamics. More recently, I have been developing a web-guide to the identification of reef fish larvae. That pursuit linked me up with the Barcode of Life project, which uses a particular mitochondrial DNA sequence as a "barcode" for characterizing all species, including the reef fishes that I am particularly interested in identifying. My latest project used barcoding to distinguish a new Caribbean goby and was the first time the actual barcode sequence was a formal part of the description of a vertebrate species. I have worked mostly in Panama, but also in Galapagos, Baja California, Palau, Brazil, USVI, Puerto Rico and Bali and concentrated on the wrasse family (Labridae) and the gobies (Gobiidae).

I am also affiliated with the Guy Harvey Research Institute and I work with the director Mahmood Shivji on shark tagging and genetic studies involving a variety of teleost fish and elasmobranch species. I am also part of the non-profit Ocean Science Foundation to facilitate coral reef research by providing a research platform to conservation and academic NGOs. The vessel Darwin is a 53-foot power catamaran with a maximum speed of 25 knots and will accommodate up to 8 people. We anticipate it will be in the Sea of Cortez by 2008.

Résumé details

Benjamin C. Victor

• MD Pathologist: Anatomic, Clinical, and Forensic Pathology
• Fish Biologist: Marine Biology, Coral Reefs, Fish Larvae
• Laboratory Director: Medical Laboratories, DNA analysis
• Consultant:
  o pathology, medical microbiology, and mycology: expert witness/ expert testimony
  • Forensic fisheries and forensic seafood projects, marine forensic consulting
    

Education

M.B.A, June 2000, Graduate School of Management, University of California, Irvine CA

M.D., June 1992, University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine, Irvine CA

Ph.D., August 1986, University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Biological Sciences, Santa Barbara CA
Dissertation: "Recruitment and Population Dynamics of the Caribbean Bluehead Wrasse"

B.A., June 1978, Cornell University, College of Arts and Sciences, Ithaca, NY

Certifications

Physician's and Surgeon's Certificate, Medical Board of California (current license)
Diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners
Diplomate, The American Board of Pathology
Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology, including Microbiology

Employment

Laboratory Director: 1998-present
(4) Los Angeles Area Medical Laboratories
Director of Health Science, Impact Environmental Inc. (a consulting company), Newport Beach, CA
CEO, Ocean Science Foundation (non-profit ocean research foundation)

Forensic Pathologist, 1997
Orange County Sheriff-Coroner's Office, Santa Ana, CA
Richards, Fischer, Fukumoto Medical Group, Inc., Anaheim, CA
Chief Resident /"Junior Attending" (sign-out responsibilities), 1996-1997, Department of Pathology, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange, CA
Resident (PGY2-4), 1993-1996, Department of Pathology, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange, CA
Resident (PGY1), 1992-1993, Department of Pathology, Stanford University Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
Assistant Curator, UCSB Fish Collection, 1987-1988, Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
Research Assistant, 1984-1986, Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
Teaching Assistant, 1980-1984, Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, Introductory Biology, Ecology, Ichthyology

Academic Appointments

Clinical Associate, 1993-1997, Department of Pathology, University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine

Teaching Experience

Economics: lectures and discussion groups, Microeconomics course at the Graduate School of Management 1999-2000, University of California, Irvine.
Forensic Pathology: demonstrations and lectures to medical students, residents, and pathologists, 1997. Orange County Coroner's Office, Santa Ana, CA
Pathology: Resident training as Chief Resident with daily lectures, weekly conferences, research advisor. 1996-1997. University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Department of Pathology.
Introductory Pathology: to medical students. Lectures and laboratories. 1996-1997. University of California, College of Medicine.
Medical Technology: to medical technology students. Lectures. 1995-1997. University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Long Beach Veterans Administration Hospital.
Ichthyology: to UCLA undergraduates at Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. Lectures and field research projects. Oct-Nov 1996. Coordinated by Dr. Myra Shulman.
Ecology: lectures and discussion groups, TA with Dr. Joseph Connell, 1984-1985.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
Ichthyology: laboratory, TA with Dr. Al Ebeling 1983-1984.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara
Introductory Biology: TA with labs and lectures, 1980-1983.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara

Recent Scientific Meetings

June 2004: 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, Okinawa, Japan
April 2002: Coral Reef Fish Recruitment Workshop, Moorea, French Polynesia
Presented "Larval Recruitment in Coral Reef Fishes"
Oct 2000: 9th International Coral Reef Symposium, Bali
Presented "The Effect of El Nino on the Distribution of Reef-associated Labrid Fishes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean"
Dec 1998: Western Society of Naturalists, San Diego, CA
May 1997, International Conference on Matrix Metalloproteinases in Tissue Remodeling, San Francisco, CA (Medical Research)
Jan 1997: Western Society of Naturalists, La Paz, Baja California
Dec-Jan 1996: International Reeffish Symposium, Kuranda, Australia
Presented "Larval life history and biogeography of coral reef fishes"

Recent Court/Deposition Experience

Feb 2005+: Nelson vs. Encompass (US Federal Court)
Oct 2004+: Ministry of Fisheries, New Zealand vs. Maruha Corporation (NZ Crown Court)
Dec 2003+: Ayscough vs. Rare Earth Hardwood (Arbitration)

Field Research Experience

July 2007: La Parguera, Puerto Rico, fish surveys
June 2007: Portobelo, north coast of Panama, R/V Urraca, fish collecting
2006-7: USVI, St. Thomas, shark tagging
Oct 2004: Forensic investigation on orange roughy fishery, New Zealand
Oct 2003: Forensic investigation on hoki fishery, New Zealand
April 2002: Fish collecting, Tahiti, Moorea, and Rangiroa, French Polynesia
July 2001: Surveying and fish collecting, Sea of Cortez, Mexico
Feb 2001: Surveying and fish collecting, Fernando de Noronha Islands, Brazil
Nov 2000: Fish collecting, East Bali, Indonesia
Jan 1997-June 1999: Fish collecting, Baja Peninsula, comparative early life history
May-June1998: Surveying and fish collecting, Galapagos Islands; El Nino biogeography
Oct 1996: Fish collecting Kona Coast and Oahu (Hawaii), early life history
Dec 1995-Jan 1996: Light trapping fish larvae, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Dec 1994-Jan 1995: Surveying and fish collecting, Galapagos Islands
Mar 1994: Fish collecting, Baja Peninsula, comparative early life history
Oct-Nov 1993: Fish collecting, Baja Peninsula, comparative early life history
Mar-Apr 1990: Surveying and fish collecting, Galapagos Islands (new species discovery)
Dec-Jan 1989: Fish collecting, Mombasa, Kenya
Sep-Oct 1987: Fish collecting, Kona Coast, Hawaii
June-Sep 1987, and 1983: Surveying, fish collecting, Palau Islands, Western Pacific Ocean
Jan-Feb 1986: Fish surveys and collections, Belize
Mar 1985: Larval surveys and collections, Galapagos Hydrothermal Vents, R/V Atlantis
June 1980-1986: Multiple years, fish surveying, experimental manipulations, larval trapping (dissertation research), San Blas Field Station, Smithsonian, Panama.

Honors

Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society for Business Students, June 2000
Faculty Fellowship, UCI-Graduate School of Management, 1998-9
Lange Medical Publications Award and Certificate of Outstanding Achievement, 1990
Basic Science Certificate of Academic Excellence, UCI College of Medicine, 1990
Lange Medical Publications Award, 1989
Pauly Fund Grant, University of California,1986
Noble Fellowship, Smithsonian Institution, 1985
Patent Fund Grant, University of California, 1984
National Science Foundation Predoctoral Honorable Mention, 1979
Bachelors of Arts degree with distinction, 1978
Dean's List, Cornell University, 1975-76

Media Reports on my Research

"Doctors offer explanations of heart attacks" Los Angeles Times, Orange County, Nov. 13, 1996.

"Inflammation may have a role in some heart attack cases" Orange County Register, Nov. 13, 1996.

"Research links heart attack to runaway inflammatory process" American Heart News, AHA Nov. 12, 1996.

Publications

Selected Abstracts

Unique localization of matrix metalloproteinase expression in ruptured vs. unruptured human coronary artery plaques.
abstract: Victor, BC et al. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1996;27:38A
March 1996, American College of Cardiology Meeting, Orlando, FL

Do inflammatory cells cause coronary artery plaque rupture or are they recruited to sites after rupture?
abstract and moderated poster: Victor, BC and Helfant, RH. Circulation 1996;94:I514
November 1996, American Heart Association Meeting, New Orleans, LA

The unique localization of matrix-degrading macrophage infiltrates in patients' ruptured atherosclerotic plaques is also present in their unruptured coronary arteries: patho-physiological implications.
abstract and oral presentation: Victor, BC and Helfant, RH. Circulation 1996;94:I18
November 1996, American Heart Association Meeting, New Orleans, LA

Comparison of matrix metalloproteinase expression in stable, vulnerable, and ruptured atherosclerotic plaques.
poster and abstract: Victor, BC and Helfant, RH.
May 1997, International Conference on Matrix Metalloproteinases in Tissue Remodeling, San Francisco, CA

Papers

Victor, BC and Brothers, EB. Age and growth of the fallfish Semotilus corporalis with daily otolith increments as a method of annulus verification. Canadian Journal of Zoology 1982;60:2543-50.

Victor, BC. Daily otolith increments and recruitment in two coral reef wrasses, Thalassoma bifasciatum and Halichoeres bivittatus. Marine Biology 1983;71:203-208.

Victor, BC. Recruitment and population dynamics of a coral reef fish. Science 1983;219:419-20.

Victor, BC. Settlement and larval metamorphosis produce distinct marks on the otoliths of Halichoeres bivittatus. In: Reaka, ML, ed. The ecology of deep and shallow reefs. Washington, DC: US Dept of Commerce, 1983:47-51.

Victor, BC. Coral reef fish larvae: patch size estimation and mixing in the plankton. Limnology and Oceanography 1984;29:1116-9.

Wellington, GM and Victor, BC. El Nino mass coral mortality: a test of resource limitation in a coral reef damselfish population. Oecologia 1985;68:15-9.

Victor, BC. Larval settlement and juvenile mortality in a recruitment-limited coral reef fish population. Ecological Monographs 1986;56:145-60.

Victor, BC. The duration of the planktonic larval stage of one hundred species of Pacific and Atlantic wrasses (Family Labridae). Marine Biology 1986;90:317-26.

Victor, BC. Delayed metamorphosis with reduced larval growth in a coral reef fish, Thalassoma bifasciatum. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 1986;43:1208-13.

Victor, BC. Growth, dispersal, and identification of planktonic labrid and pomacentrid reef-fish larvae in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Marine Biology 1987;95:145-52.

Victor, BC. The mating system of the Caribbean rosy razorfish, Xyrichtys martinicensis. Bulletin of Marine Science 1987;40:152-60.

Wellington, GM and Victor, BC. Variation in components of reproductive success in an undersaturated population of a coral reef damselfish: a field perspective. American Naturalist 1988;131:588-601.

Robertson, DR, Green, DG and Victor, BC. Temporal coupling of production and recruitment of larvae of a Caribbean reef fish. Ecology 1988;69:370-381.

Wellington, GM and Victor, BC. Planktonic larval duration of one hundred species of Pacific and Atlantic damselfishes (Pomacentridae). Marine Biology 1989;101:557-67.

Victor, BC. Settlement strategies and biogeography of reef fishes. In: Sale, P, ed. The ecology of fishes on coral reefs. Orlando, Florida: Academic Press, 1991:231-60.

Wellington, GM and Victor, BC. Regional differences in the planktonic larval duration of reef fishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Marine Biology 1992;113:491-8.

New species discovery: Wellington, GM. Xyrichtys victori, a new species of razorfish from the Galapagos Islands (Teleostei: Labridae). Copeia 1992;4:1053-9.

Victor, BC and Wellington, GM. Endemism and the planktonic larval duration of reef fishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 2000;205:241-8.

Victor, BC, Wellington, GM and Caldow, C. A review of the razorfishes of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Revista Biologia Tropical 2001;49, supp.2 101-110

Victor, BC, Wellington, GM, Robertson, DR, and Ruttenberg, BI. The effect of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation event on the distribution of reef-associated labrid fishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Bull. Mar. Sci. 2001, 69 (1): 279-281.

Riginos, C and Victor, BC. Larval spatial distributions and other early life history characteristics predict genetic differentiation in eastern Pacific blennioid fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London, 2001;268: 1931-1936.

Victor, BC, Wellington, GM, Robertson, DR and Ruttenberg, BI.2001. The effect of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation event on the distribution of reef-associated labrid fishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Bulletin of Marine Science 69(1): 279-288.

Victor, BC. 2006. The late-stage larvae of Caribbean gobies, eleotrids, and microdesmids: identification guide and patterns of size and age at settlement. (abstract) ASIH 2006 meetings.

Robertson, DR, Karg, F, Leao de Moura, R, Victor, BC and Bernardi, G. 2006. Mechanisms of speciation and faunal enrichment in Atlantic parrotfishes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40: 795-807.

Victor, BC. 2007. Coryphopterus kuna, a new goby (Perciformes: Gobiidae: Gobiinae) from the western Caribbean, with the identification of the late larval stage and an estimate of the pelagic larval duration. Zootaxa, 1526: 51-61.