In Vivo Models for Infectious Disease Research Through the Years

Matt entered the research field almost 30 years ago as a lab animal technician at the TSI/Mason contract research facility in Worcester, Massachusetts. Since then, he has worked in laboratory contract facilities such as Primedica and OREAD Biosafety, as well as within the biotech/pharma industry at Pharmacia, Pfizer, Genzyme/Sanofi-Aventis, and Biogen. Matt joined Charles River Laboratories last year as the senior manager of the In Vivo Sciences department at their Shrewsbury, Massachusetts facility. During his career, Matt has performed a variety of surgical procedures including device implantation, organ transplants, orthopedic defect, ocular and vascular implants, cardiac procedures, fibrosis modelling and brain and spinal procedures. His experience ranges from mice and rats to non-human primates and livestock. He holds patents for novel surgical devices and implants and has been training technicians, scientists, veterinarians, and physicians in surgical techniques and procedures for over 20 years. He is currently also an adjunct professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, teaching the graduate-level Laboratory Animal Surgery course. Outside of the surgical realm, he has been a toxicology and pharmacology study director, cardiac sonographer, safety pharmacology scientist, and manager. Currently, Matt manages a team of over 70 technicians, trainers, data reviewers, team leaders, and supervisors. Matt served on the board of directors for the Academy of Surgical Research for over ten years, including as the program chair for three years and the educational chair for two years. He is the current president for the New England branch of AALAS.