Senior Clinical Veterinarian

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Job Summary

Under the direction of the Director of the Office of Laboratory Animal Resources, assist in maintaining Caltech’s Animal Care and Use Program; provide oversight of clinical veterinary medical services, supervision of the veterinary technician team, and consultation, technical support, and training to research investigators, technicians, and husbandry staff.

This is an Essential Reporting position. An employee designated as essential reporting has essential job skills that are needed for response and recovery, and is expected to report to campus as soon as possible.

Job Duties

Veterinary Responsiblities

• Provide veterinary medical services for all species used in the biomedical research and teaching programs at Caltech including but not limited to laboratory rodents, non-human primates, tree shrews, rabbits, fish, frogs, and zebra finches. Veterinary care encompasses disease diagnosis though physical evaluation, collection and submission of pertinent samples to diagnostic laboratories, radiology, evaluation of laboratory results, treatment regime development and assessment, provision of supportive and follow-up care and completion of medical records in accordance with regulatory requirements.
• Provision of full necropsy services including gross necropsy evaluation and creation of a written report, submission of tissue samples for histopathology, and histopathology report interpretation.
• Coordinate and assist in provision of emergency veterinary care including on-call rotations during holidays, evenings, and weekends.
• Maintain appropriate programs of disease prevention and control commensurate with accepted veterinary medical practice. Provision of routine preventive medical care for all species includes but is not limited to:
  • semiannual physical examination, tuberculin testing, blood work analysis, serologic viral surveillance, parasitology for all nonhuman primates.
  • development, implementation, and monitoring of health surveillance program involving multiple rodent colonies on-campus including serology, parasitology, bacteriology, and histopathology semiannual health evaluation of rabbit, bird, and amphibian colonies.       
• Work closely with the animal care technical staff to ensure the efficiency of animal health and husbandry programs. Monitor veterinary and husbandry practices and make recommendations to the Director of OLAR on any proposed changes. Create, implement, and annually update standard operating procedures for all aspects of routine animal care in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act and PHS Policy on the Human Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
• Collaborate with the Director to provide oversight and management to insure an efficient and effective animal transfer program for all animal transfers to and from the Institute. This program involves timely correspondence with faculty and veterinarians at other institutions, review of health surveillance data, and provision of adequate quarantine for incoming animals to minimize potential exposure of in-house animals to infectious agents.
• Provide written guidelines for the use of anesthetics, analgesics, and euthanasia agents as required by the Animal Welfare Act and the PHS Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

Teaching/Training Responsiblities

• Work closely with the Director in the development and implementation of training programs in accordance with NIH, USDA, and AAALAC requirements. Includes training for animal care and technical staff, students, post-docs, faculty, and the IACUC. Training topics include but are not limited to: aseptic technique, surgery, anesthesia, pain recognition and assessment, regulations pertaining to the use of laboratory animals, Caltech policies and procedures involving the use of laboratory animals, animal handling, specific techniques, zoonotic disease prevention, ethics of animal use, and alternatives to animal use.
• Ensure that training resources are updated as needed, including the online laboratory animal training program, classroom training presentations, in-person training sessions, and Caltech Laboratory Animal Training Manual.

Technical Assistance Responsiblities

• Provide technical assistance/support on research issues pertaining to use of laboratory animals in biomedical research including surgery, anesthesia, analgesia, technical features, experimental design, animal model selection, etc.

Administrative Responsiblities           

• Collaborate with the Director of OLAR in the development and implementation of internal policies on issues involving the care and use of laboratory animals in biomedical research at Caltech.
• Participate in IACUC activities including: semiannual animal facility inspections; veterinary pre-review of animals protocol applications; and draft wording for written notification of principal investigators of decisions of the IACUC.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of OLAR.

Regulatory Responsiblities

• Participate in providing regulatory oversight and guidance to insure institutional compliance with local, state, and federal regulatory agencies including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Public Health Service/National Institutes of Health/Office of Protection from Research Risks (PHS/NIH/OPRR), Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), California State Department of Health Services, and California Department of Fish and Game.
• Serve as member on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
• Collaborate with the Director of OLAR in provision of an active, effective, and cost efficient occupational health program as required by OSHA and PHS for individuals exposed to laboratory animals at Caltech. Provide and/or coordinate safety training sessions for Caltech personnel working with laboratory animals. 
• Create and distribute written information on zoonosis prevention to individuals with exposure to laboratory animals.
• Participate in preparation of program description in anticipation of application of accreditation by AAALAC.
• Coordinate the Controlled Substances Program including oversight and tracking and routine inspection of controlled substances use, to ensure compliance with DEA and California State regulations.

Supervisory Responsiblities

• Provide daily supervision and direction to OLAR veterinary technicians including developing work schedules and assignments and training new veterinary technicians.
• With input and recommendations from the Director mof OLAR, develop annual performance reviews for the veterinary technical staff.

Professional Development Responsiblities

• Participate/lead organized professional meetings, conferences, and workshops to keep abreast of new regulatory requirements, new techniques and technologies that may assist Caltech investigators, and new methods to improve the quality of the animal care and use program at Caltech. Represent Caltech through presentation at professional meetings and participation in activities of local and national organizations affiliated with improving the care and use of laboratory animals.

Basic Qualifications

• DVM / VMD from an AVMA accredited institution or its foreign equivalent.
• Current licensure in at least one state, eligibility for licensure in California.
• Knowledge and expertise in diagnosis and treatment of diseases specific to laboratory animals and regulatory guidelines as they apply to use of animals in biomedical research. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with staff and faculty. Ability to provide direction and guidance to technical personnel. 
• Must be able to successfully pass the required pre-employment medical clearance. Upon hire, must be willing and able to participate in an Occupational Health program that requires vaccinations (e.g., MMR, COVID) along with routine TB testing and other testing and vaccinations, as required by and at the discretion of the Institute.

Physical Demands

• Must be able to lift/carry lab supplies, equipment and/or objects weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Standing: remaining on one’s feet in an upright position.
• Walking: moving about on foot.
• Lifting: raising or lowering an object from one level to another.
• Carrying: transporting an object, usually by hand, arm, or shoulder.
• Pushing: exerting force upon an object so that the object is moved away.
• Pulling: exerting force upon an object so that it is moving to the person.
• Climbing: ascending or descending objects usually with hands/feet.
• Balancing: maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling over.
• Stooping: bending the body by bending the spine at the waist.
• Kneeling: bending legs to come to rest on one or both knees.
• Crouching: bending body downward and forward by bending legs.
• Reaching: extending the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Handling: seizing, holding, grasping, or otherwise working with hand(s).
• Fingering: picking, pinching, or otherwise working with fingers.
• Feeling: perceiving attributes of objects by means of skin receptors.
• Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words.
• Hearing: perceiving the nature of sounds by the ear.
• Eye/hand/foot coordination: performing work through using two or more.

Vision Requirements

• Near Acuity: ability to see clearly at 20 inches or less.
• Accommodation: ability to adjust vision to bring objects into focus.
• Color vision: ability to distinguish and identify different colors.

Preferred Qualifications

• DACLAM board eligible or certified.
• USDA Accredited

Required Documents

• Resume