Residents to Present at National AALAS Meeting
Two residents will be presenting at the 73rd AALAS National Meeting in Louisville. On Monday, October 24, Rebecca Turcios will present in “What’s Your Diagnosis?”: PS16 The Curious Case of the Mouse Colony with Broken Legs. On Tuesday, Bridget Clancy presents in a session on Animal Welfare, Training and the 3Rs: PS42 The Effect of Noise, Vibration, and Light Disturbances from Daily Health Checks on Breeding Performance and Nest Building in Mice. Bridget also has a poster: P207 Refinement of Animal Transport Carts to Reduce Noise and Vibration Exposure.
Bridget Clancy Wins CBAALAS Midwest Conference First Place Poster Award
Refinement of Animal Transport Carts to Reduce Noise and Vibration Exposure. BM Clancy, FB Robinson, KR Luchins, BR Theriault, GP Langan.
Incoming Resident Faazal Rehman Wins ASLAP Veterinary Student Award
Faazal Rehman, who will become a first year resident in July 2022, was awarded the ASLAP Veterinary Student Award. The VSAP is intended to increase awareness of the practice of laboratory animal medicine by recognizing five current senior veterinary students who have demonstrated significant interest and potential in the field. The Veterinary Student Award Program (VSAP) provides a certificate, one year’s membership in ASLAP and a copy of the 3rd edition of the ACLAM Laboratory Animal Medicine textbook, and a monetary award of $300. There are a total of five awards presented.
Faazal graduates this year from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Congratulations!
3rd Year Resident Jenna Schoenberger to be Assistant Professor at MD Anderson
Jenna Schoenberger, VMD, currently a third year resident, will become faculty at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, when she graduates our program. She will be a clinical veterinarian and assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. Congratulations Jenna!
Welcome Incoming Resident Faazal Rehman
Faazal Rehman received his B.S. from The George Washington University, and then spent over 7 years working at the National Institutes of Health conducting government biotechnology research. His areas of focus include inflammatory immunology, addiction biology, rodent surgical support, CRISPR gene editing, and cryopreservation techniques. Faaz is currently completing his V.M.D. training at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine and will start at UChicago on July 1.
Resident Case Report Study Accepted to Comparative Medicine
Dr. Bridget Clancy’s case report titled “Identification and Control of an Ornithonyssus bacoti Infestation in a Rodent Vivarium by Using Molecular Diagnostic Techniques” has been accepted for publication by Comparative Medicine.
From the paper’s abstract:
Due to modern molecular diagnostics and proactive PCR-based health monitoring surveillance, we were able to identify the outbreak earlier than would have otherwise been possible. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to successfully identify O. bacoti using environmental health monitoring PCR techniques. This outbreak demonstrates the importance of screening for O. bacoti in facilities with the potential for wild rodent infestation and highlights unique considerations when managing O. bacoti infestations. In addition, a novel permethrin-soaked enrichment item was developed for cage-level treatment.
The case report can be found here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35379379/.
Congratulations to Dr. Darya Mailhiot on Passing Boards
Dr. Darya Mailhiot recently became board certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. This is a major career accomplishment that puts her in an elite group of veterinarians who specialize in laboratory animal medicine; with only around 1000 veterinarians who are active Diplomates of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. This achievement recognizes years of preparation and studying all aspects of laboratory medicine and research. Dr. Mailhiot was the first veterinarian to complete The University of Chicago Laboratory Animal Medicine Training Program. She is currently a clinical veterinarian at The University of Chicago.
Bridget Clancy Awarded Sensory Sentinel for Research Project
Turner Scientific has awarded temporary use of a Sensory Sentinel and technical support to resident Bridget Clancy for her research year project examining the effects of different daily health check methods on breeding efficiency and stress in mice.
https://www.turnerscientific.com/sensory-sentinel-grant
Resident Research Paper Accepted to JAALAS
Dr. Cara Mitchell’s residency research project manuscript has been accepted to JAALAS. Titled “Evaluation of Pain and Distress and Therapeutic Interventions for Rectal Prolapse in Mice to Reduce Early Study Removal,” it analyzes the results from her research year project which showed that rectal prolapse does not cause distress in mice and that treatment is not necessary. This project changed our IACUC recommendation from euthanasia to monitoring of the condition.
AALAS Platform Presentations Accepted
Two UChicago residents will be presenting at the 2021 National AALAS meeting. Dr. Jenna Schoenberger’s presentation in the Husbandry/Management section is titled, “Implications of Lab Mouse Trap Preference on Your Pest Control Program”. Dr Bridget Clancy will present a talk in the Clinical section titled, “Identification of Ornithonyssus bacoti Infestation via Molecular Diagnostic Techniques”.