Two New Department Chairs at Veterinary Medicine
September 11, 2007, Volume 54, No. 3	Print Issue

Two departments at the School of Veterinary Medicine have new chairs. Dr. Christopher Hunter has been named chair of the department of pathobiology. Dr. Gary Althouse has been named chair of the department of clinical studies at New Bolton Center.

Dr. Gary Althouse was named the chair of the department of clinical studies, New Bolton Center. “Dr. Althouse brings an extraordinary level of commitment and visionary academic leadership to this position,” said Dr. Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine. As the chief academic officer of the department, Dr. Althouse will be responsible for providing leadership in enhancing the department’s role within the School and University, integrating the core activities of the department, developing new and promising areas of research and teaching, and working with the other department chairs in furthering the mission of the School. The appointment was effective July 1.

In addition to the new position, Dr. Althouse is a professor of reproduction and swine herd health, and was previously the head of the section of reproductive studies and the endowed Georgia & Philip Hofmann Research Center for Animal Reproduction at New Bolton Center.

Dr. Althouse received his B.S. degree from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, his M.S. from Texas A&M University, and completed a combined program leading to both D.V.M. and Ph.D. degrees at Iowa State University in 1994. Dr. Althouse is a Diplomate in the American College of Theriogenologists.

Dr. Althouse’s research interests include addressing problems pertinent to male reproduction in veterinary and human medicine, and he remains heavily involved in translational research which has expanded the application of several assisted reproduction technologies in many species. 

As a veterinary clinician, Dr. Althouse specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders which have an effect on individual and herd reproductive performance. He is the founder and director of the Reference Andrology Laboratory (RAL), which is located on the New Bolton Center campus.  The RAL, www.vet.upenn.edu/labs/andrology, provides critical and quality control semen analysis services for swine, cattle and equine. This service is currently being provided routinely to clients located in 20 states and 2 Canadian provinces. In addition to his clinical efforts at New Bolton Center and throughout Pennsylvania, Dr. Althouse frequently is requested to provide expertise in the investigation of herd problems both in North America and globally.

Dr. Christopher Hunter has been named chair of the department of pathobiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine.  The appointment was effective July 1. “The School can look forward to exciting advances in the pathobiology department,” said Dr. Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “Dr. Hunter aspires to build a department that serves the complex missions of teaching, healing and research both within the department and across the School. He will be a clear and focused advocate for the future of the department and an enthusiastic partner in advancing Penn Vet in the University, in the profession and beyond.”

The department has a strong focus on basic research in cancer and infectious disease and provides vital diagnostic laboratory services for patients at both the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital in Philadelphia and the George D. Widener Hospital for Large Animals at New Bolton Center. It offers the largest veterinary biopsy service in the world. Pathobiology faculty head the School’s initiative in the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System.

 In addition to his new position, Dr. Hunter is a professor of parasitology at Penn Vet. He is active in the advancement of graduate education at Penn. He is on the editorial boards of several journals; he has served on numerous scientific review committees, including the National Institutes of Health, and the Howard Hughes and the Gates foundations.

Dr. Hunter was raised in Scotland and received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in zoology and parasitology from the University of Glasgow before completing his training in the immunology of infectious disease at Stanford University. He joined the Penn faculty in 1996.

Dr. Hunter ’s research interests include understanding how the immune system controls infections and how this information can be used to design better ways to manage inflammation.