[March 28, 2011; Kennett Square, PA] – Angela Dion of Kennett Square, PA has taken over the position of Assistant Biosecurity Officer at New Bolton Center, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s large animal campus, located in Kennett Square.

Dion, who holds a B.S. in biology and B.A. in business, formerly worked in the Sports Medicine Department of New Bolton Center. In her new position she will assist Helen W. Aceto, PhD, VMD, assistant professor of epidemiology and director of biosecurity at New Bolton Center, and assume responsibilities related to the maintenance of ensuring a biosecure environment at the James M. Moran, Jr. Critical Care Center and other patient housing and clinical areas throughout the George D. Widener Hospital.

“Penn Vet has taken the lead in biosecurity,” says Dion, who has been working at New Bolton Center since 2008, “and I am thrilled to be a part of this team.”

Biosecurity, which involves protection of the environment and thereby patients from infectious organisms, is a concern at all health institutions and a robust part of the Penn Vet culture. New Bolton Center requires all staff, from barn crews to faculty, to be oriented to the need for biosecurity and follow biosecurity protocols. Lectures on biosecurity and organisms that are important causes of hospital-acquired infections are also required for students. In advancing the institution’s commitment to biosecurity, Dion will be developing an online manual of biosecurity protocols, and creating online training modules specifically directed at various staff, faculty and student groups.

“Ultimately, says Dr. Aceto, “we want to put together similar resources for referring veterinarians."

Dion was an ideal candidate for the job, says Dr. Aceto. “She knows horses, the hospital and our protocols, but brings a fresh pair of eyes to the procedures that are integral to the health of this institution. I am confident that Angela will strengthen even further our position as a leader in veterinary hospital biosecurity.”

The James M. Moran, Jr. Critical Care Center, the newest facility on the New Bolton Center campus, sets the bar in large animal veterinary care and biosecurity. The Moran Center was built to provide the campus with a building that has the design and the capacity to care for the numbers of critically ill patients admitted to the George D. Widener Hospital, which sees approximately 6,000 patients annually, about 1,200 of which are admitted as emergencies. About half of those emergency patients will be housed at and cared for in the Moran Center. The facility offers an unprecedented level of biosecurity for the most at-risk population, thereby protecting not only those animals, but all the patients in New Bolton Center hospital facilities.

Says Dr. Aceto, "The way that animals are moved, the way veterinary hospital stalls are cleaned, the way staff moves from stall to stall, even the way air circulates all offer opportunities to limit the movement of infectious organisms about hospital wards. We are constantly working to achieve the most advanced biosecure conditions possible in a large animal veterinary hospital."