Comparative Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine
The mission of the Department of Comparative Medicine is to promote animal welfare and improve the quality and integrity of animal-based research by engaging in independent and collaborative research, providing state of the art training to researchers and veterinary specialists, and by offering a broad range of fully-integrated professional services.
The Department of Comparative Medicine is an academic department within the Penn State College of Medicine staffed by veterinarians specialized in laboratory animal medicine and veterinary pathology.
We provide comprehensive health care for six to 10 different species of laboratory animal patients that are used by more than 120 scientists with the College of Medicine and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
Services include animal care and husbandry; clinical veterinary medicine; gross and microscopic veterinary pathology; surveillance of spontaneous animal diseases; post-operative and intensive care; training in animal handling and procedures; and technical assistance for scientists and students. We promote animal welfare and support biomedical research by providing training to researchers and maintaining expertise in laws and regulations that pertain to the use of animals in research.
Our department also offers a three-year training program in Laboratory Animal Medicine to graduate veterinarians. The program provides a broad foundation upon which an individual can build a career in research, teaching or in the professional direction of animal research programs.
I invite you to explore our newly updated website for more detailed information regarding the opportunities and services available within the Department of Comparative Medicine.
Ronald P. Wilson, VMD, MS, DACLAM
Comparative Medicine Department Chair
Penn State College of Medicine
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Residency Program
The Laboratory Animal Medicine MS Program at Penn State College of Medicine is a residency program for graduate veterinarians offered through the Department of Comparative Medicine.
Latest from Comparative Medicine
College of Medicine Research Events
- IRB Board B Review Meeting
Nov 11, 2019 1:00 PM EST Room T2500 – Penn State Cancer Institute - Writing a Successful Fellowship Proposal
Nov 18, 2019 1:00 PM EST Room C3621 – Penn State College of Medicine - Health Services and Behavioral Research Seminar: “Cesarean Delivery at First Childbirth and Subsequent Subfertility – Results from the First Baby Study”
Nov 19, 2019 12:00 PM EST Academic Support Building (ASB) Room 2200G - Graduate Student Seminar: Yunsung Kim and Heather Ren
Nov 19, 2019 4:00 PM EST Lecture Room D (Room C7619) – Penn State College of Medicine - Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design seminar series: “Mixed Methods”
Nov 19, 2019 4:00 PM EST Room H4504 – Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Recent Publications
- The rabbit papillomavirus model: a valuable tool to study viral-host interactions.Cladel NM, Peng X, Christensen N, Hu J. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019 May 27;374(1773):20180294
- Chronic Ovine Studies Demonstrate Low Thromboembolic Risk in the Penn State Infant Ventricular Assist Device.Lukic B, Clark JB, Izer JM, Cooper TK, Finicle HA, Cysyk J, Doxtater B, Yeager E, Reibson J, Newswanger RK, Leibich P, Bletcher K, Weiss WJ. ASAIO J 2019 May/Jun;65(4):371-379
- Cannula Tip With Integrated Volume Sensor for Rotary Blood Pump Control: Early-Stage Development.Cysyk J, Newswanger R, Popjes E, Pae W, Jhun CS, Izer J, Weiss W, Rosenberg G. ASAIO J 2019 May/Jun;65(4):318-323
- Comparison of arterial and venous blood-gas values in anesthetized Dorset cross-bred lambs (Ovis aries) using a point-of-care analyzer.Izer J, Mattern E, Ellwanger J, Wilson R. Vet Anaesth Analg 2019 Mar;46(2):209-213