Clinical Services

Clinical Care

The institution employs three full time veterinarians. All contribute 100 percent of their time toward the animal care and use program and have their faculty appointments in the Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery. Reginald W. Miller, D.V.M., D.A.C.L.A.M. is the attending veterinarian for Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Director of CCMS. Responsibilities include oversight of the program of veterinary care, husbandry, and Vivarium administration. Dr. Jennifer Pullium is Associate Director of CCMS. Dr. Gregg Goldschlager is the Head, Comparative Sugery.

There are five veterinary technicians who assist the veterinary staff in the provision of adequate veterinary care. Vet techs receive daily treatment instructions through plans in the clinical rounds book or during clinical staff meetings. Technicians are required to seek veterinary approval prior to initiation of treatment except in emergency situations. A veterinarian and veterinary technician are assigned to weekend duty on a rotating basis. A member of the veterinary staff is on call each weekend. At least one member of the CCMS veterinary staff is always accessible by pager for animal health emergencies during evenings, weekends, and holidays.

All animals housed within the CCMS facilities are evaluated daily by an animal husbandry technician. Husbandry technicians are responsible for reporting any disease conditions to the veterinary staff or their immediate supervisor. The veterinary staff perform daily clinical rounds through the facility to observe the animals, animal housing conditions, and husbandry procedures.

Large animals are observed on a daily basis by a veterinary technician. The veterinary technician assigned to conduct daily rounds meets with the attending veterinarian to discuss observations made by the technician during the clinical rounds. The veterinary technician documents the observations in the specific animal's "Clinical Rounds" report. The veterinarian assesses and determines a course of evaluation and/or treatment for each animal reported and confers the plan to the principal investigator.

Dedicated sentinels are assigned to all rodent rooms. Barrier/SPF colonies are tested on a staggered basis such that at least one room per area is tested monthly. SPF areas are tested quarterly. Samples testing positive are sent to outside labs for confirmation. Once presence of a pathogen is confirmed, an eradication program is initiated.

Any individual who suspects that an animal is moribund must report the case to the veterinary medical staff. To report non-emergency medical cases, the reporting individual completes a numbered "Sick Animal" card and places it on the specific cage. The reporting individual also completes a sick/dead/overcrowded form in conjunction with the "Sick Animal" card and submits the form to the veterinary technician's office in Annenberg or to the office of the facility supervisor in the Icahn Medical Institute. A veterinary technician performs a preliminary evaluation of the case and reviews the case with the attending veterinarian. If the attending veterinarian assesses that the animal requires treatment and/or subsequent monitoring, the investigator is notified and a treatment plan discussed. The veterinary medical staff removes the "Vet Care" card when the attending veterinarian determines that the animal's health is "within normal limits" and removes the animal from the daily clinical rounds.