NCB is honored to have many amazing speakers this year!

Here is a peek...

Robert Quinn, DVM, DACLAM

National AALAS President

Dr. Quinn is currently Senior Director for Research Integrity and Director of the Department of Laboratory Animal Resources at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse where he has worked for the past 24 years. Prior to that he was the Associate Director at the LSU Medical Center in New Orleans, LA. He received a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University and then his D.V.M. from Colorado State University in 1991. From there he did a 3-year residency in laboratory animal medicine at the University of Michigan. He is a diplomat of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM). He has been a member of national AALAS for more than 30 years and has been active on many committees at the national level and is currently serving as an Emeritus Council Member for AAALAC, Int.

Bruce Kennedy, MS, CMAR, CPIA, EdD

UC Santa Cruz, AALAS Past President

Bruce received his BS degree in Zoology and MS in Avian Sciences at UC Davis and completed as a ‘mature’ student his EdD in educational leadership at Cal Poly Pomona studying IRBs.  His career spans animals, chemistry, and people, starting in California, moving to Virginia and Maryland, then returning.  He learned about lab animal science at UCD using coturnix quail for his graduate thesis in nutritional toxicology before there even were IACUCs.  Since then, it’s been dogs, rats, mice, rabbits, and marine mammals with USDA, Hazleton/Covance, FDA, the NIH, Cal Poly Pomona, Chapman, and UC Santa Cruz where he is now their IACUC administrator.  [It seems to be hard to keep a job.]

Bruce holds memberships in many AALAS branches, LAMA, and PRIM&R.  He has served on AALAS’s education and certification committees. He is a director of the California Society for Biomedical Research.  He serves as an ad hoc specialist with AAALAC, wrote the column Fruits of Education for Lab Animal, and is a past president of AALAS and LAWTE. He teaches about animal research to vet tech students at Cal Poly Pomona.

Over the last century, Bruce has been a life longer learner, teacher, and trainer, sharing knowledge with others.  That’s why he is here at NCB-AALAS to participate in the mini-leadership workshop and to lead a panel discussion on the changing paradigm of cage wash operations (about which he is co-writing and co-editing a book to be published next year).

Tracy Lewis-Parker, MBA, RLATG, PMP, CPIA, CMAR

Intuitive Surgical, AALAS Past President

Tracy Parker, MBA, BS, CMAR, RLATG, CPIA, is Program Manager at Intuitive and a Past President of AALAS.  She moved to California in 2018 after living her entire life on the east coast.  She started her career in lab animal at a CRO, first as a research technician and then as the company’s first training coordinator.  She moved to a pharmaceutical company in 2001 as a supervisor and, over the next 17 years, held positions of ascending responsibility.  She completed her MBA, achieved CMAR, CPIA and PMP certification while working full time and raising two kids.   Mentoring others is her passion.  Outside of work, you’ll most likely find her in a kayak, volunteering at the local farmer’s market, or kicked back with her rescue dogs, Xena, Phoebe and Lexi, and her house panthers, Shorty, Miss McTosie and Smidgini.

Amanda Banks, PhD, CRA

President, California Biomedical Research Association (CBRA)

Amanda has years of experience in academia and non-profit administration, including posts as Senior Information Officer at Vanderbilt University, and director of development and major gifts officer at California State University, Sacramento. She holds a master's and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s from the University of the South. She is the author of Birth Chairs, Midwives, and Medicine, editor of The Olden Times, and is currently at work on a text on the history and traditions of water cures in western Europe and America. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Biotechnology Foundation, the national advocacy association, States United for Biomedical Research, and the Sacramento Institute for Music and the Arts.  She enjoys travel literature, arctic adventures, knitting and tatting (knotting traditional lace), and making elaborate deserts.

Autumn Sorrell, MS, RLATg, CMAR

Neuralink

Autumn Sorrells has spent the last 7 years assisting Elon Musk's company, Neuralink in reaching their first clinical trials which they achieved in April of this year. Her focus has been animal welfare refinements in the medical research field in order to improve the way in which we collect valuable data while respecting the lives that make it possible. Autumn's new venture as a contracting animal welfare scientist allows her to take the refinements they were able to achieve at Neuralink and implement them in laboratories across the Bay Area, advancing our industry as a whole. 

Benigno Salindong, BS

UCSF

Popularly called "Junior",  Benigno has been at UCSF's LARC for 27 years, working in ABSL2 and 3 facilities. He started as an Assistant Animal Technician in 1997 and was promoted to a Senior Animal Technician in 2003. By 2006, he had become a Principal Animal Technician and in 2016, he was promoted to a Supervisor. He currently oversees two animal facilities and the cage wash operations that service 6 facilities at the Mission Bay campus in addition to overseeing 21 staff members. He is excited to share of his rich experience as one of the panelist in the workshop session.

Brooke Sword, BS, MS, LATG

Sr. Site Manager, Charles River Laboratories, Hollister, CA

Brooke Sword is the Sr. Site Manager of Animal Production and Surgical Operations at Charles River Laboratories rodent breeding facility in Hollister, CA. Brooke is responsible for managing the SPF barrier and gnotobiotic isolator facilities, as well as the aseptic surgery suite. She is an industry professional with 11 years of experience in facility and equipment management, laboratory animal medicine, animal husbandry, in vitro fertilization, and cryopreservation. She started as a gnotobiotic Production Supervisr at CRL Hollister back in 2020,  and was promoted to Sr. Site Manager in 2022. Prior to CRL, Brooke worked as a Laboratory Specialist and a Sr. Vivarium Manager at Virginia Commonwealth University, and as a Research Biologist Technician for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Richmond, VA. Brooke earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience from Bridewater College and Masters of Science in Laboratory Animal Science from Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Carine Elkhoraibi, MS, CPIA

Novartis

Carine is a senior manager of animal welfare compliance at the Novartis Emeryville Site. In her current role, she oversees all aspects of regulatory oversight with USDA, PHS/OLAW and AAALAC and is also involved in auditing external animal activities and in overseeing the company’s Global 3Rs Awards. Her passion for the 3Rs stems from her previous graduate work in animal welfare science at UC Davis and special interests include pain behaviour, rodent handling refinements, NHP housing and environmental enrichment for aquatics.

Eric Ibsen, BS, LATG

StudyLog

Eric Ibsen ran his first xenograft study in 1983 at the Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research and in 2003 he co-founded Studylog Systems. He has extensive international research experience in pharmacology, animal modeling, toxicology and quality assurance in the biopharmaceutical industry. From 1987 to 2001 he performed pharmacology research in a variety of organizations, including the Cetus Corporation, XOMA Corporation, Bayer AG (Germany), Genentech and Theravance. At PDL BioPharma, Ibsen conducted essential in vivo research in toxicology, oncology, inflammation and animal model development. Ibsen contributed to a successful drug discovery effort in oncology as a Scientist at Eos Biotechnology.

Eric Ned

UCSF

Eric has been with UCSF's LARC for five years. He’s an experienced autoclave, tunnel washer, rack washer operator. He’s very knowledgeable about the daily workflow of the washroom, knows how to delegate work and has shown exemplary work ethics. . He’s been sought as a washroom lead when the lead was out for a long period of time. He is excited to share of his cage wash operations as one of the panelists during the workshop session.

Jerome Geronimo, MS, RLATG

Stanford University

A seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in rodent colony management, Jerome brings a unique blend of technical and scientific expertise to his role. Holding undergraduate degrees in Computer Science, Project Management, and Veterinary Technology, Jerome has a strong foundation in animal care, data management, and computer engineering.

Jerome furthered his education with a master’s degree in laboratory animal science from Stanford University. This advanced degree, coupled with his LATg certification, demonstrates his commitment to providing ethical and humane care for laboratory animals.

In addition to his academic and professional credentials, Jerome is a licensed Veterinary Technician and a Certified Project Manager. His contributions to the field are further evidenced by co-authoring six publications and holding two patents, showcasing his innovative spirit.

Outside of work, Jerome channels his enthusiasm into advocating for animal welfare and passionately supporting Bay Area sports teams. As a lifelong animal lover, he has a particular soft spot for corgis. His hobbies reflect his dynamic personality, including writing and producing music, trading cryptocurrency, and hitting the golf course.

Kelly Rodriques, BSc

Softmouse

Kelly Rodriques is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Iseehear Inc., Life Sciences. Iseehear is a company that develops, creates and delivers cloud and mobile-based online data management solutions for the biomedical research community, which includes SoftMouse, a software tool for mouse colony management, maintenance and breeding. Kelly has a BSc (Honors) in Human Biology and Biological Anthroplogy from the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Kylie Thurman, BA

Animal Behaviorist, Neuralink Inc., Fremont, CA 

Kylie received her BA in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara. She was an Animal Care Intern at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network where she cared for sick injured, abandoned or oil-damaged birds, captured and secured various water fowl for regular health checks, and supervised outside exposure of ducklings while employing behavioral tactics to prevent imprinting.  She worked as a Camp Counselor and Training Associate at Camp Canine where she provided play, stimulation and other enrichment activities for high energy dogs and helped develop an online program for new puppy parents.  As a Dog Trainer with Zoom Room Campbell, Kylie taught workshops in Urban Herding, Scent, Shy Dog, Calm Down, Loose Leash Walking, Come When Called, Therapy Dog, and Life Skills.  Kylie is currently working as an Animal Behaviorist at Neuralink.

Miki Fontes, BS, MBA

RapidLab

Miki Fontes is a Sector Director at RapID Lab, Inc., providing consultative sales for the life sciences industry. She has over 20 years of software sales experience, and clients have included IACUCs, IBCs and vivarium operations. Prior to working at RapID Lab, Miki worked as a director of sales and strategic account executive at RockStep Solutions, Cayuse LLC/NTM Consulting Services, and Robert Half Technology. She also worked for several years as an HR Manager at Challenger Systems and Starr Technologies. Miki has a BS and MBA in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay. Miki also in on the NCB-AALAS Board of Directors, working as its Public Relations Chair.

Monika Huss, DVM, DACLAM

Stanford University

Monika Huss received her DVM from Western University of Health Sciences in 2010 and completed a residency in Laboratory Animal Medicine at Stanford in 2015.  She is a Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University and is dedicated to advancing the field of laboratory animal medicine through teaching, clinical care and research.  She enjoys mentoring trainees and collaborating with fellow clinicians and scientists to advance scientific and medical knowledge.  Her research centers on refining biomedical research techniques including anesthesia and analgesia.  

Robin Schweiger, BS

Site Director, CRL Hollister

Robin Schweiger is the Site Director for the Charles River Laboratories rodent breeding facility in Hollister, CA. There she manages the operating activities, including production schedules, materials, equipment, and staffing, and is responsible for implementing and achieving short and long term objectives, policies, budgets, and operating plans for the plant. Robin started as a Technologist at CRL Hollister back in 2005, and worked her way up through Asspcoate Supervisor, Production Supervisor, and becoming Site Director in 2015. Robin has a Bachelors in Animal Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Stephen Niño Cital, RVT, SRA, RLAT, CVPP, VTS-LAM (Res. Anes.)

Stanford University

Stephen Niño Cital is a multi-credentialed veterinary technician specialist with a passion for anesthesia, pain management, and cannabinoid medicine. He has authored multiple articles and contributed to several textbooks, including acting as the lead editor for the first cannabinoid medicine textbook. He serves on multiple boards and is a strong advocate for veterinary technician advancement along with minority representation. Stephen is the COO of the Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds, LLC and Executive Director of the Academy of Laboratory Animal Veterinary Technicians and Nurses. He is a lab manager at Stanford University in the department of neurobiology in addition to a clinical pain practitioner and partner at Remedy Veterinary Specialists. For more information, please see www.StephenCital.com.

Special thanks to the following Instructor Assistants for the Perioperative Preparation and Wound Closure for Rodent Surgery Dry Lab:

Eden Alamaw

Ben Franco

Fei Ge

Tyler Lavender

Milaan Waters

Mingyun Zhang