Speaker Bios
“After graduating from Swarthmore College in 2001 with a BA in Linguistics, Dr. Christine Lattin spent several years working in environmental education, conservation science, and wildlife rehabilitation. She earned an MS in Biology in 2008 from Eastern Kentucky University and a PhD in Biology in 2014 from Tufts University. She is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at Yale University, where she uses cutting-edge imaging techniques like PET (positron emission tomography) and CT (computed tomography) to understand how different hormones and neurotransmitters help wild animals successfully find mates, raise offspring, and survive stressors. She is very excited to be starting this fall as an Assistant Professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Louisiana State University.”
Jennifer C. Smith, DVM, Diplomat ACLAM is the Director of Bioresources at Henry Ford Hospital. Dr. Smith received her D.V.M. at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine and her residency training in Veterinary Anesthesia at Michigan State University and the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Smith has previous experience providing management, anesthesia/analgesia consulting, veterinary oversight and AAALAC support to large vendor, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and in 2004 she became a Diplomat in the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Dr. Smith has authored several publications and book chapters in the field of laboratory animal anesthesia and her research interests include anesthesia and analgesia, mitigation of waste anesthetic gas exposure, and rodent surgery. Dr. Smith is an active volunteer and provides leadership for the AALAS and ACLAM organizations and a frequent invited speaker at scientific meetings.
Chris B. Schaffer is an Associate Professor in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and the Associate Dean of Faculty at Cornell University. Chris grew up in Jacksonville, FL and was an undergraduate at the University of Florida, where he studied physics. He received his PhD from Harvard University, also in physics, where he worked with Eric Mazur. He was then a post-doc in David Kleinfeld’s neuroscience laboratory at the University of California, San Diego. He now runs a lab at Cornell that develops advanced optical techniques that enable quantitative imaging and targeted manipulation of individual cells in the central nervous system of rodents with the goal of constructing a microscopic-scale understanding of normal and disease-state physiological processes in the brain. One area of current focus is understanding the role of brain blood flow disruptions in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Chris is also active in developing novel educational strategies to teach science as a dynamic process for discovery that are used in outreach settings in middle and high-school science classes as well as in college-level courses. Chris also has a strong interest in science policy and spent a year in Washington, DC as a science policy fellow in the office of Senator Edward Markey. He continues to be active in policy, including through a science policy course he teaches. Chris is an accomplished surfer, having ridden waves all over the world and surfed some “big wave” spots, including greater than 20 ft. waves at Todos Santos, Mexico.
In addition to pursuing her career goals, Misty Touchette has been an interview coach for 10 years. She has an AAS from the Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Denver. After tech school she worked in companion animal medicine for a decade before switching gears to lab animal medicine. She completed her BBA in Veterinary Technology Management from SUNY Delhi while working as a Senior Lab Animal Technician at Syracuse University where she co-created a formalized training program. She then transitioned to her current role as facilities manager and IACUC administrator. Active in outreach, Misty has participated in the National AREA program and visits local classrooms to introduce lab animal science to the next generation of heroes in science!
For the past 3 years, Lauren Pandolfo has held the position of Lab Animal & Fisheries Facilities Manager
for Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development at the National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland, USA Campus. Lauren has a B.S. in Marine Biology from Roger
Williams University and a M.S. in Biology with a focus on Developmental Genetics from New York
University. She is also CMAR certified. The NICHD Central Zebrafish Facility is one of the largest zebrafish research facility in the world. Lauren’s role is to direct the animal husbandry and facility management of aquatics programs. Lauren has established a strong record of success, productivity, and innovation in the care and rearing of zebrafish and other fish species.
Dr. Lisa Clarey is the Clinical Veterinarian and IACUC Coordinator at CBSET, Inc. She worked as a surgical research technician for five years prior to earning a DVM from the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Since graduation she has worked extensively in clinical practice as well as academic and industry research settings. Her professional interests include regulatory compliance, laboratory animal clinical pathology, and animal models of disease.
Monika Burns, DVM, DACLAM is a Senior Research/Clinical Veterinarian with the Division of Comparative Medicine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. Her primary clinical responsibilities include providing care for a large breeding colony of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) at MIT. Dr. Burns joined the DCM staff following completion of the MIT DCM postdoctoral training program in comparative medicine. Prior to her training at MIT, she received her DVM degree from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Her current research focus is on improving the clinical care and husbandry of common marmosets.
Jeff Wyatt is laboratory animal veterinarian at the University of Rochester and Seneca Park Zoo with a research goal connecting human, environmental and animal health from villagers & orangutans in Borneo to subsistence anglers & sturgeon in Rochester’s Genesee River… all to promote planetary health.
Michael L. Shuler is the Eckert Professor of Engineering in the Meing Department of Biomedical Engineering and in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University. Shuler has degrees in chemical engineering (BS, Notre Dame, 1969 and Ph.D., Minnesota, 1973) and has been at Cornell University since 1974. Shuler’s research includes development of “Body-on-a-Chip” for testing pharmaceuticals for toxicity and efficacy, creation of production systems for useful compounds, such as paclitaxel from plant cell cultures, and construction of whole cell models relating genome to physiology. Shuler is CEO and President of Hesperos, a company founded to implement the “Body-on-a-Chip” system. Shuler has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Science and is a fellow of numerous professional societies.
Gordon Yee: Who knew what would start as a summer job would end up being a career? Gordon has worked in Lab Animal Research since 1984, never realizing that his studies in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Business would fall to the wayside and succumb to the temptations of working in research. He spent the first half of his career on the Light Side of animal research, working as a Lab Animal Technician in several facilities throughout the Montreal area. In 1999, he moved to The Dark Side, joining Ancare as their Canadian Sales Rep, and in 2008 became their Marketing Director. A devoted spokesman for Lab Animal Research, Gordon has been highly involved with the animal research community from the very beginning. He is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Laboratory Animal Science (2006 -2008) and served on their board of directors for 15 years. He is also a Past President of the Upstate Branch of AALAS and a contributing member of the QUAD Symposium. Never one to be quiet in a room, Gordon has always believed in speaking up and being heard, and that effective public speaking skills can help advance most people in their careers. An avid public speaker and member of Toastmasters, he is a 2012 graduate of ILAM, and has spoken at many conferences and symposia, including LAMA, National AALAS and CALAS. In his free time, he likes to compete at public speaking! Graduating ILAM was an empowering event for Gordon, allowing him to gain a new focus and to drive himself further. Since then, he has polished his skills as a communicator and facilitator, following several online and professional courses in leadership, communication and management.
Dr. Misty Williams-Fritze is the Director of Veterinary Services and Attending Veterinarian at CBSET, Inc. She earned a DVM and MS in Laboratory Animal Medicine from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and completed post-doctoral training in the Department of Comparative Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Williams-Fritze is a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) and has over 15 years of experience in the research setting, including academia and contract research organizations. Her professional interests include laboratory animal behavior, welfare, dentistry, and pain management.
Wendy O. Williams earned her veterinary degree in 1997 from Ontario Veterinary College in Canada; then was employed as a laboratory animal veterinarian in various human hospitals, medical colleges and academic institutions. In 2011, Wendy achieved ACLAM Diplomate status and continues to mentor others to achieve this goal. In her current position as Assistant Director, Training Services at the Center for Animal Resources and Education (CARE) at Cornell University, Wendy has oversight of the training program for research personnel. She is also a Lecturer for the Department of Biomedical Science, and the Section Chief for the clinical rotation in laboratory animal medicine (LAM). Wendy’s primary passion is for exploring innovative methods of teaching and hands-on training. Wendy is motivated to help people achieve their goals, while promoting animal well-being through implementing the 3 Rs.
