UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Office of Senior Vice President for Research has named Teresa Sylvina as the new attending veterinarian for laboratory animals under the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and research professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, effective Aug. 26.  

Sylvina succeeded Jeffrey Dodds, who retired from the role after nearly 24 years at the University. 

“Dr. Dodds has provided outstanding service to the University in this role for decades, and we hope he has a wonderful retirement,” said Todd Jackson, research professor and director of Penn State’s Animal Resource Program. “We are thrilled that Dr. Sylvina, a board-certified specialist in laboratory animal and comparative medicine and a Penn State graduate, is willing to return to University Park and share her expertise with the Animal Resource Program.” 

The role of attending veterinarian has three critical missions, according to Jackson: 

• Providing veterinary care and ensuring the welfare of the laboratory animals. This means diagnosing and treating any animals observed to have health issues and periodic screening of rodent colonies for subclinical pathogens — disease agents that could alter research data without making the animals sick enough to see that they have become infected. 
• Facilitating biomedical research, which involves assisting investigators in designing their studies and training research teams in how to handle and work with the animals. 
• Ensuring compliance with the many laws and regulations governing the use of research animals as part of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. This includes reviewing each proposed study that will involve animals to ensure there is a good reason to use animals versus nonanimal alternatives and ensuring that the proposed procedures on the animals are appropriate for that species and involves periodic inspections of the animal housing and use areas. 

Sylvina brings experience in academia, research and global health to the role. She earned her undergraduate degree from Penn State and her doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked with researchers at various institutions, designing and renovating animal facilities and developing research support programs. 

“Penn State ranks among the top 100 universities in the world,” Sylvina said. “As an alumna, I wanted to return to serve the University, completing the circle of being a student and now a member of the faculty. I am honored to be selected for this position. Penn State has done so much for me by providing a strong foundation to serve communities and global populations.” 

Sylvina has led a U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER Award-funded study of wild chimpanzees in Africa and served as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Tanzania. She also founded Bush-To-Base Solutions, a nonprofit organization focused on One Health initiatives and, most recently, served as director of strategic initiatives on animal research for the National Academies of Sciences. 

During her tenure at the National Academies of Sciences, she raised funds to support scholarly work and advance knowledge sharing to expand the vision and mission of the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research, renaming it the Board on Animal Health Sciences, Conservation, and Research. 

“With a distinguished academic background and experience in designing and managing cutting-edge animal research facilities, I believe Teresa is set to make significant contributions to Penn State’s mission,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research at Penn State. “Her groundbreaking research, innovative program development and a steadfast commitment to global health is proof that her work in this role will have a long-lasting impact for our research community.” 

Sylvina said she is looking forward to this role at Penn State.  

“As an alumna, great pride, respect and enthusiasm has led me back to Penn State,” Sylvina said. “I look forward to furthering the overall aims of the institution by contributing to the collective success and goals of the Animal Research Program and the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences.”