About Beyond Flies
The mission of this website is to provide resources about flies, maggots, and health. We accomplish this by sharing our experience and consulting services.
What is “Beyond flies“? Flies and maggots are not the center of the universe (though they may think so). On this website, most of what we offer is related to flies and maggots in some respect. That is because this site features the work of Ronald and Julie Sherman, and includes their past and current work in the fields of myiasis, maggot therapy, parasitology, medicine, wound care, and maggot-related legal consulting (concerning maggot infestations). We also consult regarding FDA regulatory compliance for living animals and services.
But here you will also discover some of their non-fly interests, activities, and services.
About Ronald A. Sherman
Ronald Sherman earned his bachlor’s degree in entomology at the University of California (UC) Riverside (1979) and his medical degree at UCLA (1983), before studying Tropical Medicine at the University of London (1988) School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has long been interested in the intersection of medicine and entomology, especially the medical benefits of insects like maggots and bees. Dr. Sherman initiated the first clinical trials of maggot therapy for wound healing during his fellowship in infectious diseases (UC Irvine, 1989-1991), and joined the faculty of UC Irvine immediately thereafter.
Dr. Sherman retired from the University of California in 2008, but he did not retire from maggot therapy, teaching, or research. Instead, he was the first person to obtain FDA marketing clearance for a live medicinal animal (branded as Medical MaggotsTM), and he co-founded a laboratory (Monarch Labs) to produce those maggots, functioning as its Medical Director and Chief Regulatory Officer until retiring from Monarch Labs in 2020.
Dr. Sherman continues to volunteer as the Director and Board Chair of the public charity BioTherapeutics, Education and Research (BTER) Foundation, where he still teaches and conducts research.
Throughout the past 4 decades, Dr. Sherman has also continued to provide direct patient care services, most recently for the Orange County Health Care Agency. He has worked within private and public institutions, served diverse populations (i.e., Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services, delivered care in a variety of settings (from university medical centers, to rural health clinics, to nursing homes, telemedicine, and old-fashioned “house calls”). It is these varied experiences that provide him with a broad view about the past, current, and future of medical care, in general, and medical entomology in particular.
Check out some of the following examples of maggot- and non-maggot services that Dr. Sherman can provide, or visit our Products & Services page.
- Teaching, Lecturing
- Maggot Therapy Consulting
- Legal Consulting
- Regulatory Consulting
About Julie Sherman
Julie Sherman brings a background in microbiology and hands-on laboratory experience to her work with Beyond Flies. She began training in maggot biology, insectary work and clinical maggot therapy in 1991, and then spent several years at the UC Irvine Maggot Lab. She then helped establish Monarch Labs, LLC, serving as the Laboratory Supervisor for 17 years and then transitioning to a consulting role through October, 2023. Her responsibilities included performing all maggot disinfection, managing the microbiology and chemistry labs, overseeing product sterilization, reception and bookkeeping, and handling client calls 24/7.
Julie’s other interests and work include managing mixed-use properties, sustainable land-use design, and permaculture.