Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that following a national search, we have selected Dr. Curtis Schondelmeyer, DVM, DACLAM to serve as Attending Veterinarian and Director of Animal Care Services for UConn’s Storrs and regional campuses, effective June 22, 2018. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the search committee and other members of the university community who assisted in conducting the search, met with candidates, and provided feedback.
I would also like to thank Attending Veterinarian and Director of the Center for Comparative Medicine at UConn Health, Dr. Ramaswamy (Ramy) Chidambaram, DVM, PhD, DACLAM. During the national search, Ramy served as Attending Vet for UConn Health as well as Storrs/regionals, which allowed programs at all campuses to be maintained and for research to continue uninterrupted. Ramy will return to his prior roles as AV and Director of CCM at UConn Health upon Curtis’ arrival. Thank you, Ramy!
In his role as institutional attending veterinarian, Curtis will have oversight and direction of all animal facilities at the Storrs and regional campuses; maintain a veterinary care program that ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, laws, policies, accreditation agency standards, and guidelines for the ethical care and use of animals; develop and maintain a collaborative relationship with faculty, staff, and students; and lead the administrative, management, technical, and operational functions of ACS.
Prior to UConn, Curtis served as Senior Scientist and Veterinarian at Biogen, a multinational biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the discovery, development, and delivery of therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative, hematologic, and autoimmune diseases to patients worldwide. He also has extensive previous experience working in an academic setting and held various positions in animal care services at Delaware Valley University, Emory University School of Medicine and The Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and Harvard Medical School’s Center for Animal Resources and Comparative Medicine. He earned his BS in Small Animal Science from Delaware Valley University in 2001, his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2004, and held a postdoctoral appointment at Emory University School of Medicine and The Yerkes National Primate Research Center beginning in 2006. He is also a Certified Professional in IACUC Administration (CPIA) and a Diplomate, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.
Curtis brings extensive experience, expertise, and a history of collaboration and engagement with colleagues from the private sector and academia to this appointment. Please join me in welcoming him to UConn and congratulating him on this new position.
Sincerely,
Radenka Maric