Casey Ehrlich

MS

Casey Ehrlich is a Research Associate at Embark Veterinary, where she facilitates scientific discovery by designing and executing research initiatives. From cancer to aging, she has played a role in launching surveys that allow pet parents and breeders to take part in helping dogs everywhere.

After studying Biology as an undergraduate and getting involved in research ranging from shark tagging to medical illustration, she attended Syracuse University where she earned an M.S. in Biomedical Forensic Science. Her training in DNA analysis and pathology has served her well at Embark, and she loves working for a company that has her learning something new every day.

In her spare time, Casey is an avid reader, photographer, and likes bringing her dog Maisie for sniffs around Boston.

All work

How Dog DNA Testing Works April 30, 2020

Genetic Inheritance and Recombination

By Casey Ehrlich

Why do littermates look different from each other? How is breed ancestry inherited? Learn more in this introductory video on genetic inheritance with Embark cofounder Adam Boyko, PhD. What is genetic inheritance? How does genetic recombination work? Why do human siblings not look exactly alike? Why do canine littermates often look different from each other?...

Breed Surprise April 22, 2020

How a Dog Gets Their Spots

By Casey Ehrlich

Spots and ticking can have a surprising origin in your dog A dog’s breed is more than coat deep. Dalmatian? Maybe not. Some dogs have spots on areas of white fur, commonly called “ticking”. While this is a characteristic of Dalmatians, many breeds can be spotted, such as Border Collies and American Staffordshire Terriers. Sometimes...

Breed Surprise April 22, 2020

All Splotch, No Catahoula

By Casey Ehrlich

The splotchy coat pattern called merle can come from many breeds A dog’s breed is more than coat deep. Many assume that dogs with a splotchy, merle coat pattern have ancestry from Australian Shepherds or Catahoula Leopard Dogs. However, this isn’t always true. Merle can be inherited from many breeds, including Collie, Great Dane, Dachshund,...