It is my great pleasure to announce that Dr. Cecile Baccanale has accepted the position of McGill University Veterinarian and Associate Vice-Principal, Animal Care. Dr. Baccanale is also appointed Full Professor (Professional) in the Department of Medicine (Division of Experimental Medicine) in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her appointment commenced on October 17, 2022.
A native of Montreal and a McGill alumna, the appointment is a homecoming for Dr. Baccanale. She returns to the University with a wealth of experience in facilitating research of the highest caliber in the field of laboratory animal medicine and overseeing exemplary programs of animal care nationally and internationally.
Dr. Baccanale attended McGill University as an undergraduate student in the Department of Animal Sciences at MacDonald College. She received a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Université de Montréal after which she was appointed to Health Canada as a research veterinarian focused on nutritional toxicology. She later was appointed Assessment Director with the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and conducted assessment visits across Canada.
From 2001 to 2005, Dr. Baccanale served as the Associate Director for the Center for Animal Research and Education at Cornell University, managing one of the United States’ largest land-grant animal care and research programs. From 2005 to 2007, she directed and administered a veterinary health care program for Marshall BioResources’ worldwide facilities, overseeing the activities of three onsite veterinarians and numerous consultants.
From 2007 to 2017 she was the Director of the Office of Animal Care Services and the Attending Veterinarian at the University of Connecticut. She played a leadership role in ensuring the program achieved exemplary status in their AAALAC International accreditation.
Since 2017, Dr. Baccanale has served as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (ECU). In this role, she collaborated on research projects, supervised the Director of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), oversaw the administration of the IACUC Office, and provided veterinary clinical service.
She was elected to serve on the AAALAC Council on Accreditation from 2006 to 2018 and currently serves as an Emeritus Member, conducting site visits for international accreditation.
McGill’s animal care program has played an invaluable role in helping us understand disease and what we need to do to treat it or cure it. Dr. Baccanale’s expertise will enhance the excellence of our research programs and support McGill’s faculty and staff in their work to safeguard the highest principles of ethics in science.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Baccanale back to McGill.
|
Martha Crago |