Associate Director, Chief Veterinary Medical Officer & Chair, Division of Veterinary Medicine

Associate Director, Chief Veterinary Medical Officer & Chair, Division of Veterinary Medicine

Location:
Covington, LA
Open Date:
Apr 22, 2023
Description:

Tulane University was founded in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana in response to a yellow fever epidemic. By 1847, the Public University of Louisiana was established with the addition of a law department and collegiate department. In 1884, through the benefaction of philanthropist Paul Tulane and an act of the Louisiana legislature, the University was reorganized into a private institution and given its present name. Today, Tulane is served by approximately 1,200 faculty and 2,900 staff. It enrolls 13,581 students, including 8,452 undergraduates and 5,129 graduate and professional students. Ten schools and colleges offer undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in the liberal arts, science and engineering, architecture, business, law, social work, medicine, and public health and tropical medicine.

Tulane is a member of the Association of American Universities, a select group of 65 universities with "preeminent programs of graduate and professional education and scholarly research." Tulane is categorized by the Carnegie Foundation as a university with "very high research activity," a classification shared by only 2% of more than 4,300 higher educational institutions nationwide. Health Sciences at Tulane comprises four main components: the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, the School of Science and Engineering, and the Tulane National Primate Research Center. Together, these units provide a broad array of opportunities for education and research from the bench sciences to population sciences.

The Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC) is one of seven NIH-supported National Primate Research Centers that comprise the National Primate Research Center Program. The TNPRC is located on approximately 500 acres of land 35 miles north of New Orleans in Covington, LA. The Center was dedicated in November of 1964 and is part of Tulane University Health Sciences along with the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and the School of Science and Engineering, all three of which are located in New Orleans.

The TNPRC is among the largest of the seven NPRCs, housing over 5,000 nonhuman primates (NHP) from six species, the overwhelming majority of which are specific pathogen free (SPF) rhesus macaques. The Center has more than 300 staff and 40 faculty including doctoral-level scientists, clinical veterinarians, and veterinary pathologists. The scientific faculty and staff are divided into four Divisions: Comparative Pathology, Immunology, Microbiology, and Veterinary Medicine. Administrative units that support the Research Divisions are the Office of the Director, Administrative Services, Facilities Services, Occupational Health and Safety, Information Technology, and Security.

In keeping with Tulane's founding as the Medical College of Louisiana, the research program at the TNPRC during the past four decades has been heavily invested in infectious disease research. The major agent-specific areas of funding for the infectious diseases program are currently AIDS, SARS-CoV-2, Lyme disease, tuberculosis, cytomegalovirus, simian varicella (model for chickenpox), Zika virus, emerging infectious diseases, and biodefense-related agents. These include multidisciplinary studies involving investigators from several TNPRC divisions and outside collaborators. Common to these studies is a focus on disease pathogenesis and the application of study results to the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Other research areas at the TNPRC include investigations in gluten-sensitive enteropathy (Celiac disease), genetic diseases such as Krabbe's disease, alcohol and drug abuse, and the effects of aging on the immune response.

The TNPRC is seeking applications for the position of Chair, Department of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), with concomitant responsibilities and duties as Associate Director for Animal Resources and Chief Veterinary Medical Officer (CVMO). The position also serves as the Attending Veterinarian (AV) for the TNPRC campus.

Qualifications:

The position of Division Chair includes administration of the animal care program and candidates should have extensive experience in nonhuman primate medicine, research, and model development as well as a thorough knowledge and understanding of the regulations governing the use of animals in research. The DVM consists of 142 employees and includes 12 faculty positions including 10 veterinarians, a geneticist, and a behavioral biologist, and 130 administrative, research support, and husbandry personnel. Nine veterinarian positions are dedicated specifically to the animal care and use program. The DVM has nine closely integrated units, which work collaboratively to accomplish the mission of the Division to provide oversight and administer the animal care and use program and to provide state-of-the-art animal research resources to core and affiliate investigators. The individual units are: 1) Animal Resources, 2) Behavioral Management, 3) Breeding Colony Management Program, 4) Clinical and Research Medicine, 5) Collaborative Research, 6) Compliance and Training, 7) Genetics and Genome Banking Core, 8) National Institute of Aging Set Aside Rhesus Monkey Colony, and 9) the Office of the Associate Director/Chief Veterinary Medical Officer and Chair, Division of Veterinary Medicine. The integration and collaboration between the nine units promote oversight, consistency, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. The DVM provides for the care of animals assigned to the breeding and research colonies, performs research support services for core and affiliate investigators, administers the behavioral management program, administers training for staff, veterinary students, and postdoctoral fellows in Laboratory Animal Medicine, performs research to expand knowledge on nonhuman primate care and their use in biomedical research, assists the information technology group in maintaining the animal records database, and allocates animal resources in accordance with NIH policy. The TNPRC is an AAALAC International accredited institution with exemplary status and is registered as a Research Institution and a Class B Dealer with the USDA. Each of the nine units within the division has a well-qualified, experienced unit lead who is responsible for the operation of the unit. Depending on the size of individual DVM units/cores and complexity of the operation, several layers of management are present including Animal Care Managers and Supervisors, Veterinary Technician Manager, Behavioral Program Manager, and Breeding Colony Program Manager. Technical staff include Animal Care Technicians, Veterinary Technicians, Behavioral Management Technicians, and Medical Research Technicians.

As Associate Director for Animal Resources and CVMO this position participates in the senior leadership of the TNPRC with the Director and two other Associate Directors. It requires significant administrative and leadership experience and a strong commitment to continuous improvement and providing quality veterinary care and support of the Center's diverse research program. Effective interaction with research faculty and a philosophy of promoting the training and developing research careers of veterinarians are essential. Preferred candidates will also have experience in the management of NHP breeding colonies, writing and managing infrastructure grants, managing clinical operations, national level leadership in NHP organizations consortia, and mentoring of veterinarians in research animal medicine.

The candidate must hold a DVM/VMD degree from an AVMA accredited college of veterinary medicine and be licensed to practice veterinary medicine in one of the 50 states. ACLAM board certification is required. The candidate should have good verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact positively with others.

Application Instructions:

Please submit an application using Interfolio via the "Apply Now" button on this page.

Applicants are asked to provide a CV and statement of interest for review by the search committee. You may upload additional materials to your application.

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

If you have any questions about the application process please contact Mark Alise and malise@tulane.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Please Note: Tulane University has officially adopted a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. All employees and visiting faculty must be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccination or obtain approval for a medical or religious exemption prior to beginning employment.

Tulane University is located in New Orleans - a city with tremendous history of diverse cultures, community, and languages. Tulane is actively building a campus culture grounded in our values of EDI and anti-racism. We seek and welcome candidate applications from historically underrepresented groups, such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), women, LGBTQ+, those living with disabilities, and veterans. 

Tulane University is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution committed to excellence through diversity and creating a community and culture that fosters a sense of belonging for all. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO and will not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, marital status, or any other status or classification protected by federal, state, or local law. It is important to us to intentionally seek candidates who are committed to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in support of Tulane's Strategy for Tomorrow and encourage all qualified candidates to apply.