Pennsylvania State College of Medicine

Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey Medical Center

Institution Type	Public University
Is there a medical school?	Yes
Is this a land-grant institution?	Yes
Vivarium Director	Dr. Ronald P. Wilson
Program Director	Dr. Tiffany Whitcomb
Who to Contact	Dr. Tiffany Whitcomb
Address	Department of Comparative Medicine, H054, M.S. Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, P.O. Box 850, Hershey, PA 17033
Phone	(717) 531-8460
Fax	(717) 531-5001
Email	twhitcomb@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

Vivarium Information

Vivarium Name	Penn State Hershey Animal Resource Program
Is the facility AAALAC accredited?	Yes
Describe management structure	One central vivarium only
Describe the extent to which your facilities are centralized	Animals housed in 2-5 separate locations
Vivarium Square Feet	68,000
Summarize the nature of the animal population and the predominant types of clinical activities	Approx. 14,000 average daily census; 90% rodents, primarily genetically-modified mice; 10% rabbits, swine, sheep, calves, and guinea pigs. Program includes new zebrafish core facility. Predominant clinical activities include daily veterinary care; after-hours veterinary care as needed; provide anesthesia and surgical expertise, assistance, consultation; assist with surveillance programs; etc.
Number of Veterinarians in program	6
Number of ACLAM Diplomates in program	3
Number of Boarded Pathologists	1
Number of Other Boarded Veterinary Specialists	0
Number of necropsies/week in the veterinary unit	5
Number of surgical cases/week in the veterinary unit	5

Training Program Details

Is this program recognized by ACLAM?	Yes
Does this program participate in the Veterinary Internship & Residency Matching Program (VIRMP)?	Yes
Number of concurrent residents	4
How many residents/trainees have completed this program?	85
Of these, how many have subsequently become ACLAM Diplomates?	63
In what year did the program accept its first trainee?	1968
How many years are required to complete this program (residency only)?	3
Is formal coursework offered?	Yes
Is a degree program associated with this residency?	Yes
If yes, what degree(s)?	Masters of Science
Which departments most commonly grant degree(s)?	Dept. of Comparative Medicine
Give an overview of this program, describing its particular strengths and any unique aspects that are not addressed in any of the other sections	Intensive, three-year program combining clinical experience, graduate course work (minimum 30 credits) and thesis research. Appointment as 1/2-time Graduate Assistants (may qualify for loan deferment while enrolled in program). Exposure to many different species and areas of research. 4-week non-human primate rotation at NIH; other externships available. Clinical experience supplemented with veterinary coverage for local zoo. Extensive experience with IACUC and other regulatory compliance activities.
Describe any unique research interests of your faculty	Experimental surgery, anesthesia and analgesia, experimental pathology
Give a few literature citations of publications completed by trainees during their tenure in this program	(1) Roshwalb SC, Sassani JW, McLaughlin PJ, Wilson RP (2015) Subconjunctival Administration of Opioid Growth Factor Prolongs Longevity of Glaucoma Filtering Surgery without Tissue Toxicity in Rabbits. JSM Ophthalmol 3(2): 1032. (2) Peng X, Roshwalb S, Cooper TK, Zimmerman H, Christensen ND. High incidence of spontaneous cataracts in aging laboratory rabbits of an inbred strain. Vet Ophthalmol. 2015 May;18(3):186-90. PMID: 2512381 (3) Booth JL, Umstead TM, Hu S, Dybvig KF, Cooper TK, Wilson RP, Chroneos ZC. Housing conditions modulate the severity of Mycoplasma pulmonis infection in mice deficient in class A scavenger receptor. Comp Med. 2014 Dec;64(6):424-39.PMID: 25527023 (4) Izer JM, Whitcomb TL, Wilson RP.A tipamezole reverses ketamine-dexmedetomidine anesthesia without altering the antinociceptive effects of butorphanol and buprenorphine in female C57BL/6J mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2014 Nov;53(6):675-83. PMID: 25650975 (5) Izer JM, Wilson RP, Cooper TK. Fatal clostridium septicum myonecrosis in a captive canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). J Zoo Wildl Med. 2014 Sep;45(3):638-41. PMID: 25314833 (6) Booth JL, Peng X, Baccon J, Cooper TK. Multiple complex congenital malformations in a rabbit kit (Oryctolagus cuniculi). Comp Med. 2013 Aug;63(4):342-7. PMID: 24209970 (7) Zimmerman HA, Olson KC, Chen G, Lynch CJ. Adipose transplant for inborn errors of branched chain amino acid metabolism in mice. Mol Genet Metab. 2013 Aug;109(4):345-53. PMID: 23800641 (8) Wilson RP, Booth JL, Tretter JM. Response to protocol review scenario: Consider a combined protocol. Lab Anim (NY). 2013 May;42(5):162-3. PMID: 23604154 (9) Villano, J.S., C.A. Boehm, E.L. Carney, T.K. Cooper. Complications of elastase-induced arterial saccular aneurysm in rabbits: case reports and literature review. Comp. Med. 62:480-486; 2012. (10) Maddineni, S., S. Nichenametla, R. Sinha, R.P. Wilson, J.P. Richie. Methionine restriction affects oxidative stress and glutathione-related redox pathways in the rat. Exp. Biol. Med. 238:392-399; 2013. (11) Koya, V., A.M. Campbell, P.J. McLaughlin, D. Tewari, R.P. Wilson, T.K. Cooper. Outbreak of abdominal distension and obstipation in a C57BL/6J experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis study. Vet. Pathol. 49:528-531, 2012. (12) Rosensteel, S.M., R.P. Wilson, S.L. White, H.P. Ehrlich. COL1A1 oligodeoxynucleotides decoy: biochemical and morphologic effects in an acute wound repair model. Exp. Mol. Pathol. 89:307-313, 2010. (13) Boehm, C., E.L. Carney, R.J. Tallarida, R.P. Wilson. Midazolam enhances the analgesic properties of dexmedetomidine in the rat. Vet. Anesth. Analg. 37:550-556, 2010. (14) Gulani, J, Norbury, CC, Bonneau, RH, Beckwith, CS. The effect of Helicobacter hepaticus infection on immune responses specific to herpes simplex virus type 1 and characteristics of dendritic cells. Comparative Medicine. 59(6):534-544; 2009.
Where will vacancies be advertised?	ASLAP Newsletter and website, COMPMED listserv, ACLAM Newsletter, JAVMA website
What month does the program begin?	July

Living and Working

Starting Annual Salary	$43,692
To what extent is travel to meetings, etc. paid for?	Travel and expenses are paid for one regional or national meeting in the 2nd and 3rd year of the program (AVMA, AALAS, APV). PVMA Annual Conference (complimentary registration provided). Local and regional meetings also available.
Is individual health insurance provided?	Yes
Is family health insurance provided?	Yes
Describe any fees or tuition	Tuition costs are fully paid by the Penn State College of Medicine
Describe the residents' responsibilities for night, weekend, and holiday coverage	Residents share weekend and holiday duty with the clinical veterinary faculty. A compensatory day off is provided following each week of on-call assignment. Evening emergencies are rare: 2 or fewer per year.
How many annual vacation days are given?	10
How many annual sick days are given?	5
Briefly describe the community	Conveniently located in south-central Pennsylvania, Hershey is only hours away from most major metropolitan areas in the Northeast - Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore. Hershey is a family-oriented community with lots to see and do. Affordable housing on or off campus.
Institutional, facility, or training program web site	https://med.psu.edu/laboratory-animal-medicine-ms/details