Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
BusinessDevelopmentManager
Cheryl Dow

Cheryl Dow

IACUC Coordinator Specialist
Enfield,CT

Summary

Seasoned compliance expert with over 20 years of pharmaceutical and regulatory industry experience. Excellent research and analytical skills, as well as comprehensive knowledge of relevant statutory and regulatory guidelines. Dedicated to conducting thorough and detailed audits to adhere to regulatory requirements. Organized and highly motivated professional with exceptional follow through abilities and detail orientation as well as extensive experience working with cross-functional research indications, administrative teams, and external regulatory agencies.

Overview

24
24
years of professional experience
7
7
years of post-secondary education
3
3
Certifications

Work History

IACUC Coordinator Specialist

Pfizer
08.2021 - Current
  • IACUC Administrator Specialist for Groton, CT site (Comparative Medicine Group – Partnering with Site Head/Regulatory Group) responsible for administration, project management and research animal compliance.
  • Management/oversight of all Animal Use Protocols (AUPs).
  • Track regulatory metrics, prep regulatory/accreditation reporting, manage IACUC schedules.
  • Conduct initial screen of all protocols to assess completeness and determine compliance w/ institutional, state and federal policies.
  • Deliver training for protocol management system to all new users (PIs, IACUC members, Veterinarians, etc).
  • Collaborate with IACUC Chair in smooth/efficient operation of site IACUC duties (meetings, agendas, minutes, etc).
  • Direct and participate in semi-annual facility inspections and program reviews.
  • Manage and coordinate USDA/FDA/AAALACi site inspections with Site Head / Regulatory Compliance group.
  • Manage all confidential agreements/documentation relating to regulatory compliance.
  • Coordinate Post-Approval Management (PAM) program through scheduling, observations, investigations, and documentation. Chair of PAM Working Group; coordinate program across Pfizer sites.
  • AUP committee lead – installation, implementation, and site wide training of a-tune Tick@Lab transition.
  • Regulatory Compliance Lead- Pfizer La Jolla CM – Managed AAALAC site visit, monthly IACUC meetings, AUPs, and PI support.
  • Gathered and organized materials to support operations.
  • Evaluated operational practices and identified improvement opportunities to develop revisions for systems and procedures.

Sr Research Compliance Coordinator / IACUC Chair

Children's Hospital Of Orange County
01.2023 - Current
  • Oversight of all active animal research protocols.
  • Assisted with internal and external audits to confirm compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
  • Coordinate semi-annual program evaluations, reviews, and facility inspections.
  • Compile/submit and maintain updated PHS Assurance.
  • Draft and maintain Institutional policies and standard operating procedures as they relate to Vivarium.
  • Facilitate communication between researchers and the IACUC.
  • Collaborate with Institutional Official and regulatory agencies to uphold best practices in animal care and research.
  • Promoted compliance by advising management on needed or prohibited actions to comport with government regulations.

Faculty Instructor of Veterinary Sciences

Becker College
07.2016 - 07.2021
  • IACUC Chair – managed and was responsible for all animal use protocols, maintenance of records, facility inspections, and preparing documentation for and interfacing with the USDA and IO. Also addressed any AWRIs brought to the attention of the IACUC.
  • Instruct BIOL2502 (general microbiology) lecture/ laboratory sections, VTSC2050 (Exotics & Lab Animal Science) lecture and laboratory sections, ANSC2900 (Externship Module), BIOL1002 (Biology II) lecture/laboratory sections and VTSC1101/1102 (Clinical Laboratory Science) laboratory sections.
  • Program chair for former B.S. Veterinary Technology with Laboratory Animal Science Concentration. Responsible for leading departmental meetings, coordinating and scheduling of courses and faculty assignment, assist with accreditation documentation (AVMA, NEASC, etc), and performing assessments and planning program reviews within the concentration.
  • Managed and provided oversight to Laboratory Animal Vivarium.
  • Developed and launched a hybrid model for Microbiology, a fully online Microbiology course and General Biology II, as well as development of an Advanced Procedures course for Laboratory Animal Sciences.
  • Mentored Biology major students with research, as well as externship coordinator for Animal Care majors.
  • Established and maintained inclusive, collegial and collaborative culture within classroom.
  • Taught diverse student population by employing various learning styles and abilities.

Research Associate II

Alexion Pharmaceuticals
02.2013 - 07.2016
  • Tick@Lab as primary animal welfare and tracking system for AUPs/ordering/housing/etc.; assisted in AAALAC accreditation process.
  • Conduct studies based primarily in screening/evaluation of novel biological entities that augment the complement cascade.
  • Proficient at most of routes of drug administration (IV, PO, SQ, IP, IM) as well as most routes of sample collection (tail vein, retro-orbital, cardiac puncture, brachial, etc).
  • Breeding/colony maintenance for several genetic mouse models in house.
  • In vitro assay experience includes (but is not limited to) ELISA platform assays – evaluating protein concentration and antibody/antigen interactions; Development of MSD (meso-scale discovery) platform assays to measure concentration of biologic molecules in serum/urine/tissue homogenates; Utilized OCTET (fortѐ BIO) protein kinetic analyzer to evaluate antibody pairing or competition for use in development of MSD assays; biotinylate antibodies for use in MSD platform assays; PCR for genetic analysis of mouse strains; Optimized HTRF assays in replacement of Western Blot Analysis for quantitative and reliable readouts.
  • Establish, develop, and conduct in vivo disease relevant models to evaluate severe and ultra-rare diseases. Responsibilities include (but not limited to) daily dosing/monitoring of study animals, metabolic/biologic sample collection throughout study, terminal collection of tissue/necropsy of study animals, and processing of tissues/fluids post-study termination.
  • Data evaluation/analysis via SoftMax Pro, SAS, JMP, and GraphPad Prism.
  • Validated incoming data to check information accuracy and integrity while independently locating and correcting concerns.

Research Scientist III

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals
05.2005 - 12.2012
  • Conduct studies based primarily in screening/evaluation of novel chemical entities that are either renoprotective and/or produce anti-hypertensive effects.
  • Surgical proficiency in the following methods including (but not limited to): 5/6 nephrectomy, uni-nephrectomy, unilateral ureteral obstruction & surgical implantation of DSI telemetric transmitters (biological and continuous radio-monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, etc) in the descending abdominal aorta for use in chronic or acute anti-hypertensive screening protocols.
  • Perform echocardiography studies with the Visualsonics Vevo 770 to collect and analyze data in relation to cardiac function and anatomy (parasternal long-axis view in B- and M-modes, parasternal short-axis view in Band M-modes, pulmonic valve Doppler imaging, and all relevant calculations/values, including fractional shortening, cardiac output, VTI, RVOT area, etc).
  • Proficient at most of routes of drug administration (IV, PO, SQ, IP, etc) as well as most routes of sample collection (tail vein, retro-orbital, cardiac puncture, brachial, etc). • In vitro assay experience includes (but is not limited to) ELISA, FISH, rt-PCR, HPLC, cell based assays, and electrophoresis protocols.
  • Establish, develop, and conduct in vivo disease relevant models to evaluate end-organ protection. Responsibilities include (but not limited to) daily dosing/monitoring of study animals, metabolic/biologic sample collection throughout study, echocardiography evaluation of study animals pre- and post-compound administration, blood pressure evaluation, and terminal collection of tissue/necropsy of study animals.
  • Evaluation of blood chemistry levels using the Nova-16 whole blood analyzer.
  • Anti-hypertensive proof of principle screenings using the IITC non-invasive blood pressure analysis system.
  • Responsible for routine performance of compound screening using the Anti-Thy1.1 model of glomerulonephritis as a short term proof-of-principle model of ECM accumulation and interstitial fibrosis.
  • Performed accurate quantitative analysis of targeted data research, collection and report preparation.

Associate Research Scientist

Bayer Pharmaceuticals
06.2000 - 02.2005
  • Extensive cell culture work, in vivo s.c. implantation, and tumor fragment passage skills.
  • Study design, animal dosing (IV, IP, IM, PO, SC), sample collections (cardiac puncture, brachial plexus, retroorbital bleed), necropsies/tissue harvesting, and study preparation/statistical analysis.
  • Implemented colony formation assays in determination of selectivity and IC50 values for screening compounds
  • Instrumental in coordination and validation of new tumor models (including primary tumor sources) for screening of novel compounds.
  • Provided expertise and training in tumor fragment passaging skills, cell culture applications and cryopreservation techniques.
  • Strategically developed and integrated a comprehensive database/planning system to maximize efficiency and quality of all in vivo biological data produced in-house.
  • Daily monitoring of s.c. implanted primary human tissue in test mice (~20 novel models at any given time).
  • Coordinated, scheduled and conducted in vivo studies (including tissue culture or harvest, daily dosing/monitoring of study animals, data collection, and study analysis).
  • Performed Flourescent In Situ Hybridization staining (STAR*FISH) for evaluation of primary tissue markers.
  • Prepared RNA samples for analysis in Taqman RT-PCR instrument.
  • Validated and implemented use of the Xenogen biophotonic technology for evaluation of tumor progression studies involving novel anti-metastatic agents.
  • Responsible for microbiological culture and identification for quality assurance testing within the animal facility.
  • Performed CBC analysis using the Technicon H*1E Hematology analyzer.
  • Actively participated in new target research to integrate potential new pathways in drug discovery pipeline.
  • Designed/conducted pharmacokinetic (PK/PD) studies and evaluated subsequent information regarding optimal dosing routes, compound concentrations and formulary options.

Education

DHSc - Health Sciences

Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA
09.2022 - Current

Master of Science - Biomedical Sciences

Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT
08.2001 - 05.2003

Bachelor of Science - Biotechnology

Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT
08.1997 - 05.2001

Skills

    Document Management

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Certification

CPIA (Certified Professional in IACUC Administration)

Timeline

Sr Research Compliance Coordinator / IACUC Chair

Children's Hospital Of Orange County
01.2023 - Current

CPIA (Certified Professional in IACUC Administration)

10-2022

DHSc - Health Sciences

Bay Path University
09.2022 - Current

LATG (Laboratory Animal Technologist)

10-2021

IACUC Coordinator Specialist

Pfizer
08.2021 - Current

Faculty Instructor of Veterinary Sciences

Becker College
07.2016 - 07.2021

LAT (Laboratory Animal Technician)

07-2015

Research Associate II

Alexion Pharmaceuticals
02.2013 - 07.2016

Research Scientist III

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals
05.2005 - 12.2012

Master of Science - Biomedical Sciences

Quinnipiac University
08.2001 - 05.2003

Associate Research Scientist

Bayer Pharmaceuticals
06.2000 - 02.2005

Bachelor of Science - Biotechnology

Quinnipiac University
08.1997 - 05.2001

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Cheryl DowIACUC Coordinator Specialist