Programs Offered
The Division of Comparative Medicine offers an outstanding opportunity for dual training in comparative pathology and state-of-the-art biomedical research at a world-class institution.

Training in Comparative Pathology consists of formal coursework, rotation through the animal necropsy and biopsy services, and rotation in human pathology. Necropsy caseload includes animals from within the institution, from the Baltimore Zoo, from the National Aquarium, and from area practitioners. Training also includes seminars and conferences offered by the Department and other units of the institution. Training is carried out under the supervision of six board-certified veterinary pathologists.

Each trainee also undertakes a mentored research project under faculty supervision. A particular advantage of this program is the ability of trainees to concurrently pursue advanced degree programs (PhD or MPH) through the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine or School of Public Health. These graduate programs provide outstanding opportunities to bridge pathology with molecular mechanisms of disease. Under usual circumstances, training is four years, but this is flexible and depends upon the needs, specific program, and background of each individual. The four-year period provides additional support for the significant number of trainees that pursue concurrent graduate degrees.

There is a wide range of interests in the Division of Comparative Medicine and affiliated academic units. These include molecular biology, retrovirus biology, lentiviral pathogenesis, toxicology, experimental carcinogenesis and chemoprevention, neuropathology, laboratory animal husbandry and disease, and several fields of experimental pathology.

Types and Numbers of Appointments
The Program has four pathology trainees enrolled at any one time. Fellows work closely with an additional 4 laboratory animal medicine trainees. Training is supported by grants from the Public Health Service, institutional funds, and a variety of private sector sources. Stipends follow the NIH guidelines and are dependent upon prior experience.

Facilities
Facilities to support training are extensive. There are over 12,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratories, office and library space on the top floor of the new Broadway Research Building, which perform a wide variety of techniques including those of molecular biology, virology, proteomics and ultrastructure. There are animal housing areas in excess of 95,000 square feet along with a 100-acre research farm. Diagnostic support laboratories include those specialized in necropsy, histology, and clinical pathology. Necropsy facility includes a specialized Biosafety Level 3 laboratory for necropsy of animals with potential zoonotic diseases. In addition, there are large, modern research laboratories.

Community
Maryland’s powerful combination of established research universities in close proximity to key federal agencies (NIH, FDA, USDA) is fueling national and international interest in the Baltimore/Washington region as a prime biotechnology/business location.

• Baltimore is a cosmopolitan, diverse city with world-class museums, the National Aquarium, the Inner Harbor and many delightful, affordable neighborhoods with easy access to Hopkins
• Columbia/Ellicott City (30 minutes from Hopkins) voted 4th top American town in which to live*
• Go hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking in our abundant old-growth forests
• Sail on the Chesapeake Bay, catch some rays on the beach, visit Assateague/Chincoteague
• Zip over to Washington DC to visit the National Zoo, the Smithsonian, and national historic monuments

*Money Magazine, 2006

Staff

• Dr. Janice Clements PhD, Director, Dept. Molecular & Comparative Pathobiology; molecular virology, AIDS animal models
• Dr. M. Christine Zink DVM, PhD Dip. ACVP, Director, Training Programs; animal models of HIV infection, neuropathology
• Dr. Robert Adams DVM, Dip. ACLAM, Director, Laboratory Animal Medicine, animal facility design and operation, nonhuman primate diseases
• Dr. David Huso, DVM, PhD, Dip. ACVP, molecular pathogenesis and new treatments for human genetic diseases using mouse genetic model systems; developmental biology, cancer biology and therapeutics
• Dr. Kathy Gabrielson DVM, PhD, Dip. ACVP, toxicology, mitochondrial dysfunction, mouse models of cardiac disease
• Dr. Joseph Mankowski DVM, PhD, Dip. ACVP, animal models of HIV neurology and cardiology
• Dr. Sarah Poynton PhD, parasites of aquatic and exotic species
• Dr. Julie Watson MA, VetMB, Dip. ACLAM, laboratory animal medicine
• Dr. Diana Scorpio DVM, MPH, Dip. ACLAM, tick-borne bacterial infections
• Dr. Christian Newcomer VMD, Dip. ACLAM, Associate Provost for Animal Research and Resources
• Dr.  Craig Fletcher DVM, PhD, viral immunology, thrombosis & vascular inflammation, health disparities
• Dr. Baktiar Karim BVMS, PhD, Cancer formation and inhibition, cytopathologic diagnosis & neoplasia
• Dr. Craig Morrell DVM,PhD, molecular mechanisms of thrombosis & vascular inflammation in vivo
• Dr. Cory Brayton DVM, Dip. ACLAM, Dip. ACVP, Director, Rodent Phenotyping Core

Applicants
Applicants to the program must submit a letter outlining professional background, interests, and goals. In addition, a curriculum vitae, official transcripts, and three letters of recommendation should be provided.

Address inquiries to:

M. Christine Zink, DVM, PhD, Dip. ACVP
Director, Comparative Pathology Training Program
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Broadway Research Building, Suite 839
733 North Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21205
Phone: (410) 955-9770
Fax: (410) 955-9823

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