The LASt Word: An AALAS Podcast AALAS National

In Episode 7 of the LASt Word (an AALAS podcast) we were joined by our new Journal Editorial Team, Drs. Mark Suckow and Michael Fallon. Mark A. Suckow, DVM, DACLAM, is the newly appointed Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Suckow has nearly 40 years of experience in the LAS community, most recently serving as Associate Vice President for Research and Attending Veterinarian, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Kentucky. As an award-winning scholar, Dr. Suckow has published over 150 peer-reviewed research articles and numerous book chapters, received over $10M in research funding, and holds several patents. In addition to his extensive scholarly work, Dr. Suckow demonstrates a long service history to the LAS community, including serving AALAS as its President and as a member of the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and Editorial Review Board. Mark earned his Bachelor of Sciences (BS) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degrees from the University of Wisconsin, became a Diplomate of ACLAM in 1991, and serves as an emeritus member of the AAALAC Council on Accreditation. 
To further enhance the AALAS editorial team, Michael T. Fallon, DVM, PhD, DACLAM (retired), has joined as the new Executive Editor. Dr. Fallon has served with AALAS for the past two years as the Interim Director of Education and Scientific Affairs and most recently as Special Consultant. In this new role, Dr. Fallon will continue to streamline the publication process and improve scientific rigor and timely review of manuscripts. Mike earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from Purdue University, and his Ph.D. in Comparative Pathology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He became a Diplomate of ACLAM in 1991. Dr. Fallon was instrumental in securing and implementing the AALAS Learning Library which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023.

In Episode 6 of the LASt Word (an AALAS podcast) we were joined by Dr. Isabel Jimenez. Isabel is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Resident in Comparative Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where she is combining her clinical residency training in laboratory animal medicine and research to lead to a PhD. She completed her undergraduate and veterinary degrees from Cornell University, where she was actively involved in research. We are thrilled to welcome Isabel to the podcast and are encouraged by her enthusiasm for research and look forward to hearing about her recent paper.
Dr. Jimenez published an article in JAALAS, “Behavioral Evaluation of Laboratory-housed Ferrets (Mustela Putorius Furo) in Different Enclosure Sizes.”

In Episode 5 of the LASt Word (an AALAS podcast) we were joined by Dr. Daniel Pang. Dr. Pang is a Professor of veterinary anesthesiology at the University of Calgary. He received his veterinary degree from the University of Bristol (2000) and worked in small animal practice in the UK before completing an internship at the University of Glasgow, followed by a residency and MSc in veterinary anesthesia at the Université de Montréal. He received his doctorate in neuroscience (molecular mechanisms of volatile anesthetics) from Imperial College, London (2011) and is a Diplomate of the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.
Dr. Pang's research interests are in pain assessment and welfare, particularly the applications of pain assessment scales, patient safety, and the concept of enhanced recovery protocols for optimizing perioperative care. He was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for his contributions to research and he is co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.
Recently Dr. Pang published an article in JAALAS, “Use of Loss of Righting Reflex to Assess Susceptibility to Carbon Dioxide Gas in Three Mouse Strains.”

In Episode 4 of the LASt Word (an AALAS podcast) we were joined by Dr. Matthew Breed. Dr. Breed has recently started a new position at Clemson University and is currently the attending veterinarian and director of the Office of Animal Resources and Godley-Snell Research Center. At the time of this interview, he was the Senior Animal Program Veterinarian at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.
Dr. Breed is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, an accredited veterinarian by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science, the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners and the Association of Primate Veterinarians. He earned his Ph.D. from the Tulane University School of Medicine, his veterinary degree from the University of Queensland in Australia and his bachelor’s degree from the University Adelaide, also in Australia.  
In this podcast we discuss Dr. Breed’s recent article in Comparative Medicine “Bacterial Genotype, Carrier Risk Factors, and an Antimicrobial Stewardship Approach Relevant To Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Prevalence in a Population of Macaques Housed in a Research Facility.” Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a significant problem for human and animal health and can negatively affect the health status of macaques and other nonhuman primates (NHP) in research colonies. Please join us as we discuss implementing strategic antimicrobial stewardship practices.
 
Sponsored by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
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On this episode of The LASt Word, Dr. Ashlee Vaughn spoke withDr. Carly O’Malley. Carly received her Ph.D. at Michigan State University, where she studied aggression, personality, and social dynamics of group-housed pigs. Carly is currently the 3Rs Scientist at Charles River Laboratories where she conducts 3Rs-focused research and develops internal educational programming. She published an article in JAALAS called “Using Stakeholder Focus Groups to Refine the Care of Pigs Used in Research”.
Hosts: Dr. Heba Ahmed and Dr. Ashlee Vaughn
Sponsored by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
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On this episode of The LASt Word, Dr. Ashlee Vaughn spoke with a giant in our organization, Dr. Robert "Bob" Dauchy. Robert Dauchy is the Co-Director of the Laboratory of Chrono-Neuroendocrine Oncology at Tulane University.
Bob’s research over the past 50 years has been dedicated to understanding the bioenergetics and metabolism of normal and neoplastic tissues and the role of the pineal neurohormone melatonin in regulation of cancer growth and proliferation. Since being recruited to Tulane University in 2008, and he helped to establish the Circadian Cancer Biology Group and the Tulane Center for Circadian Biology. In his past research, he has studied circadian disruption due to light at night exposure and the increased risk and incidence of human cancers and metabolic disorders. This work has been featured in three award-winning international documentaries. He also has had very productive collaborations in the study of melatonin regulation of human tumor growth and proliferation.
He recently published an article in Comparative Medicine “Dietary Linoleic Acid: An Omega-6 Fatty Acid Essential for Liver Regeneration in Buffalo Rats."
Hosts: Dr. Heba Ahmed and Dr. Ashlee Vaughn
Sponsored by the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
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Instagram: @aalasnational
Facebook: AALAS https://www.facebook.com/AALASNational/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aalas