Moderators:

Mary Martin- Cornell University

Ramaswamy Chidambaram- U Conn Health

Ann Turner- National AALAS

Lyn Patrylak- Yale University

Philippe Baneux- Cornell University

 

Speaker Contact Information

Jennifer Asher

Department of Comparative Medicine

Yale University School of Medicine

jE-mail: Jennifer.asher@yale.edu

Kristina (Carter) Bartley

Mount Sinai at Icahn School of Medicine

Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery

E-mail: kristina.carter@mssm.edu

Gary L Borkowski, DVM, MS, DACLAM

Global Director, AAALAC International

E-mail: gborkowski@aaalac.org

www.aaalac.org

Fernando “Freddy” De La Garza

Sr. Lead Technician

E-mail: Fernando.de.la.garza@bd.com

Penny L. Devlin, MLAS, RLATG

Manager, Animal Resource Program

Department of Comparative Medicine

Penn State University College of Medicine

E-mail: pdevlin@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

Morag Mackay VN, Cert.Ed., RLATG, SRS

DLAC Sr. Director, La Jolla Institute for Immunology

E-mail: morag@lji.org

Bob MacGregor

Sales Representative

Carter2Systems, Inc.

www.carter2systems.com

Scott A. Mischler, DVM, PhD, DACLAM

Consultant

E-Mail: docmischler@gmail.com

Jeffrey S. Mogil, Ph.D.

E.P. Taylor Professor of Pain Studies

Canada Research Chair in the Genetics of Pain (Tier I)

Director, Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain

Depts. of Psychology and Anesthesia, McGill University

jE-mail: Jeffrey.mogil@mcgill.ca

Emily Nielsen

Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE)

at Cornell University

E-mail: elg222@cornell.edu

Dr. Diana G. Scorpio DVM, MPH, DACLAM

Attending Veterinarian and Senior Scientist

Head, Translational Research Program

Vaccine Research Center, NIAID

Karen Strait, DVM, DACLAM

Clinical Veterinarian

T3 Labs, Inc.

E-mail: Karen.strait@t3labs.org

Jennifer Asher, MLAS, DVM, DACLAM, is an assistant professor at Yale University. She has been in the laboratory animal medicine field for 5 years, was in private practice for 2 years, and shelter medicine for 1 year. Dr. Asher practices clinical medicine and is heavily involved in the resident training program. She also participates in collaborative research in cardio-renal dysfunction, short bowel syndrome, and immunology. She serves on the AALAS program committee, is the immediate Past President of SNEAALAS, and fills the laboratory animal medicine position on the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities.

Kristina Bartley is the Behavior Management and Enrichment Program Manager, Quality Assurance Education Specialist, as well as interim Training Coordinator for Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery.   She is responsible for the creation, development, and implementation of the Behavior Management and Enrichment Program as well as the Husbandry and Research Training Program.  In 2016, she started an inter-facility Enrichment Club which expanded into a New York Metro Enrichment Club with other New York research facilities.  As President and Founder of the Enrichment Club, she enjoys promoting and creating a resource for people like her to network and talk about their passion regarding animal welfare, behavior management and psychological enrichment for all laboratory animals.  Kristina Bartley has a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in Laboratory Animal Science from Drexel University. 

Gary L. Borkowski, D.V.M., M.S. is Global Director for AAALAC International, and has been in this role since November 2018.  He is responsible for overseeing the accreditation program for AAALAC International, with over 1000 accredited units in 47 countries.  Dr. Borkowski has a long history of service with AAALAC International.  In 1998 he was selected to become an Ad Hoc Consultant to AAALAC, and in the years following he served multiple terms as a member of AAALAC’s Council on Accreditation.  From 2007 through 2011 he also served on the AAALAC International Board of Trustees representing the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.  Dr. Borkowski received his veterinary degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in laboratory animal medicine from Pennsylvania State University.  He has 30 years of experience in academic and pharmaceutical laboratory animal medicine, having worked at Vanderbilt University, Pennsylvania State University, Upstate Medical Center (New York), Monsanto, Pharmacia, Pfizer, and Lilly Research Laboratories.  Dr. Borkowski has presented and published on topics such as rodent aseptic surgery, animal facility design and construction, institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs), electronic medical records, microgravity research, and management and leadership.  Dr. Borkowski previously served as program chair for the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) Annual Meeting, is past President of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP) and past president of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM).

Fernando “Freddy” De La Garza began his animal care career as an Animal Technician at a Primate breeding facility in South Texas prior to relocating to North Carolina.  Freddy is from South Texas and grew up on a farm and developed a passion for all types of animals.  He has transferred his passion to his work in animal research improving the animal welfare of laboratory animals.  In pursuit of his animal care career, he seeked employment at Charles River Laboratories where he has been for the past three years as a Senior Lead Technician.  Freddy was nominated and awarded the prestigious “The President’s Award for Humane Care” in 2018 for his expertise and development in Swine Training and Acclimation Program at Becton Dickinson (BD).  The swine training program has led to excellent animal welfare while enabling efficient research and scientific results.  He has earned the name the “Pig Whisperer” by co-workers for his amazing ability to connect to the pigs in the BD swine facility and within the AALAS community after presenting his training program at the National AALAS meeting in Baltimore, MD in 2018

Ms. Penny Devlin is the Program Manager for the Department of Comparative Medicine, where she supports research projects by leading the animal care, special projects and critical care teams. She received her Masters of Laboratory animal science from the University of Drexel.  She earned her RLATG and completed the ILAM program. Current work interests are business resilience and continuity planning, security and safety in lab animal programs, as well as lean management.  Her focus in lean management is on the 5S’s of organization. She is always looking for ways to support continuous improvement within her work teams and personal life.    

Morag Mackay is the Senior Director for the Department of Laboratory Animal Care at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in San Diego, CA. She has over 33 years of experience in laboratory animal science. She first became qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in the United Kingdom where she also received her Certificate in Education. Following her move to the US she has become certified as a Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist and as a Surgical Research Specialist. Morag has worked with multiple laboratory animal species throughout her career and has worked in the academic, pharmaceutical, biotech and contract laboratory environment. She is actively involved with both local and National AALAS and currently serves as the President for National AALAS. Morag also serves as an ad hoc consultant for AAALAC International.

Bob MacGregor is a Sales Representative for Carter2 Systems, Inc., manufacturer of stainless steel lab animal housing, transport and enrichment equipment. Bob received his B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Maine in 1983 and joined C2SI in 1998 to help market the company in the Eastern US and currently covers outside sales east of Oregon. He has traveled to Puerto Rico four times with Project Monkey Island, working on a number of cleanup and reconstruction projects on Cayo Santiago (Monkey Island) and in Punta Santiago. Bob is active in the Allied Trade Association, serving as Treasurer, and is also active in several nonprofits in his hometown of Belfast, Maine.

Dr. Scott Mischler earned his DVM from Kansas State University, his Ph.D. from Albany Medical College, and is Board Certified by ACLAM.  Dr. Mischler served as Senior Director for Pfizer, and is a specialist in laboratory animal and agricultural species, pharmacology/toxicology, and pharmaceutical development.  He has over 30 years of experience in Laboratory Animal Medicine, and has over 45 publications and abstracts.   Dr. Mischler is a past president of the AALAS, serves on the AALAS Journal Editorial Review Board, and is a member of the AAALAC International’s Council for Accreditation

Jeffrey S. Mogil, PhD is the E.P. Taylor Professor of Pain Studies, Canada Research Chair in the Genetics of Pain, and the Director of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain at McGill University.  Dr. Mogil is the author of over 240 journal articles and book chapters since 1992, and has given over 350 invited lectures in that same period.  He is a Councilor at IASP, recently served as a Section Editor at the journal, Pain, and was the chair of the Scientific Program Committee of the 13th World Congress on Pain.  He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Frederick W.L. Kerr Award from the American Pain Society.

Emily Nielsen is from Coldwater Michigan. She graduated with her Bachelors in Animal Science at The University of Findlay in Findlay Ohio. On top of education she has gained knowledge working and volunteering at multiple veterinary hospitals. She also worked on a Standardbred farm and a 600-head Dairy Farm. She has a strong passion for animal rescue which blossomed when she worked at the 4th largest non-profit no-kill sanctuary, first specifically with the dogs and then being promoted as the Adoption Coordinator. She has volunteered at other animals shelters over her life and has been involved with animal transports and fostering. She accepted a position at Cornell in 2015 as an Animal Technician and is now a RLAT working on her RLATG.

Dr. Scorpio is a licensed veterinarian and has been a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine since 2004. Dr. Scorpio received her DVM from Michigan State University in 1997. She then pursued an NIH T32 Comparative Medicine fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she remained on as faculty for 8 years. During her tenure there, she also received her MPH at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Scorpio then pursued her career internationally at the National University of Singapore and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine before returning stateside for her present position with the Vaccine Research Center.

Dr. Karen Strait is a Laboratory Animal Veterinarian at T3 Labs, Inc. in Atlanta, GA where she provides clinical and research support for preclinical surgical projects.  She has experience working with a variety of large animal species including swine, sheep, canines, non-human primates, and calves. Prior to her current role, Dr. Strait worked at Emory University, where she oversaw the Large Animal Surgical Service, and at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, where she focused on nonhuman primate models of infectious disease.  Dr. Strait is an ACLAM Diplomate.