Director – Animal Resource Program; Chief - Division of Comparative Medicine

Penn State College of Medicine(COM)is hiring anon-tenureline, faculty clinicalveterinarian to serve as theDirector, Animal Resource Program(ARP) and Chief, Division of Comparative Medicine.TheDirector/Chiefprovides leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for the institution’s AAALAC-accredited animalresourceprogram, while serving as the senior comparative medicine leader within the Department of Surgery.

Thispositionis responsible forensuring the highest standards of animal welfare, regulatory compliance, and research support, while advancing innovative, collaborative, and translational research programs. The Director/Chief leads a multidisciplinary team delivering veterinary care, husbandry, technical services, and research support across a complex biomedical research enterprise.

Key Responsibilities

This role providesoverall leadership and management of theCollege of Medicine’sanimalresource program,representingthe program internally and externally with regulatory agencies, accrediting bodies, and peer institutionswhile ensuring alignment with the research mission of the COM.

1.Regulatory compliance & accreditation

• Promote a culture of ethical research, scientific excellence, and animal welfare.

• Ensure the infrastructure, processes, and resources are in place to support adherence to institutional SOPs, policies, and guidelines, as well as compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and accreditation standards (USDA, OLAW/PHS Policy, AAALAC International), in partnership with the Attending Veterinarian (AV) andIACUC.

• Partner closely with the Institutional Official and IACUC to ensure ethical and humane animal use, including servingas a voting member ofthe IACUC to review research protocols.

• Ensure corrective actions are implemented when compliance deficiencies areidentified, in coordination withappropriate governingbodies.

• Provides training and continuing education forvotingIACUC membersand for personnel involved with the care and use of animals, in collaboration with compliance leadership.

• Lead AAALAC accreditation activities and site visits.

2.Veterinary & clinical program leadership

• Ensure the delivery of comprehensive veterinary care programsfor research animals including:

• Preventive medicine and health surveillance programs;

• Surgical and perioperative services;

• Disease prevention, biosecurity, and colony management;

• Alignment with institutional and regulatory health standards.

• Support the implementation and consistent application of standards for anesthesia, analgesia, and humane endpoints.

• Ensure investigator access to expert consultation provided by the ARP veterinarians regarding: 

• Animal model selection and refinement;

• Ensureappropriate systems, staffing, and on-call coverage are in place to supporttimelyresponse to urgent and after-hoursveterinary care needs.

• Ensure the program stays aligned with the latest developments inlaboratory animalscience and integrates advances into everyday practice.

• Provide back-up clinical care in the case of staffing constraints or other emergent situations.

3.Research collaboration and support

• Partnerwith faculty investigators tosupport high quality, ethical, and reproducible animal-based research.

• Oversee and ensure access to veterinary and technicalexpertiseto:

• Support development of innovative models and translational approaches;

• Assistresearchers in thepreparation of IACUC protocols and grant submissions;

• Driveanimal model developmentand optimization;

• Provide guidance onsurgical planningand specialized procedures.

• Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration across departments, centers, andbiomedicalcorefacilities.

• Contribute to grant development, program project initiatives, and institutional research growth.

• Ensureappropriateandmethodologically up to datetraining and support programsarein placefor faculty, research staff, and animal resource program staff.

4. Financial and operationalleadership

• Partner closely with the Director, Business Operations to oversee theoperational managementof the ARP including:

• Long-range strategic planning

• Strategic budget development and performance management

• Cost recovery models and service level pricing

• Driveefficientstewardshipofinstitutionalresources whilemaintaininghigh-quality service delivery.

• Ensure organizational structures, staffing, and professional development resourcessupporta high-performing comparative medicine research ecosystem.

• Lead workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and professional development of faculty and staff.

• Partner with facilities and grant leadership to pursue external resources to support strategic programmatic renewal and expansionincluding capital improvements andfacilitiesmodernization.

5. Academic leadership

• Serve as Chief, Division of Comparative Medicine within the Department of Surgery.

• Provide academic leadership for faculty within the division.

• Conduct annual faculty evaluations and mentor faculty toward promotion and career development, ensuring excellence in service, research, and teaching activities.

• Support faculty recruitment, appointment, careerdevelopmentand promotion processes.

• Collaborate with departmental and institutional leadership to integrate comparative medicine into translational and surgical research initiatives.

• Review, refine and support ACLAM residency training program.

The ARPis fullyaccredited by AAALAC, International. ARP supports approximately270 research protocols involvinganimals, with monthly average rodent census of 6,100 cages.This is an on-siteposition,locatedin Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

Qualifications

Required

• DVM/VMD (or equivalent veterinary degree).

• Board certification in Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) or equivalent (e.g., ECLAM).

• Eligibility for veterinary licensure in Pennsylvania.

• Demonstrated leadership experience in a comparative medicine or laboratory animal program, preferably in an academic or research-intensive environment.

• Demonstrated experience in veterinary clinical and emergency care,andin vivobiomethodologytraining.

• Clinical experience withnon-rodentanimal research models, includingtheprovisionofpre-and post-operative care.

• Extensiveknowledge of:

• Animal welfare regulations and accreditation standards;

• Research animal models and biomedical research support.

• Proven ability to lead complex teams, manage institutional risk, and drive strategic initiatives.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Preferred

• 10 years ofpreviousleadership and managerial experience inan academic researchprogram using animal models.

• Prior experience with AAALAC accreditation and USDA inspections.

• Strong vision for advancing biomedical research in a rapidly evolving research landscape.

• Aptitude for technologysolutions–i.e.animal EMR, inventory tracking system, etc.

Interested candidates mustsubmitan online application atPenn State’s Job Posting Board, andshould upload the following application materials electronically: a letter of interest, CV or resume, and a list of three references with contact information.