On November 1, Dr. Claire Hankenson returns to PennVet as a professor in the Department of Pathobiology and will also serve as an Associate Vice Provost for Research, the University Laboratory Animal Resources (ULAR) Executive Director, and the Attending Veterinarian for the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hankenson received her DVM from Purdue University in 1997, completed her laboratory animal medicine residency and earned her MS in Microbiology (within the laboratory of Dr. Julie Overbaugh at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) both at the University of Washington in 2001. Since that time, she achieved board certification by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) (2002) and has worked in academic and administrative roles at the University of Michigan (2002-2006), University of Pennsylvania (2006-2014) and Michigan State University (MSU) (2014-2021).
During her time at MSU, Dr. Hankenson was the Director of Campus Animal Resources (CAR) and Attending Veterinarian, as well as a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. MSU significantly expanded its biomedical research profile during her tenure following a dedicated recruitment campaign for research scientists. This led to the construction and opening of four major research buildings (three new and one fully renovated) all with animal facilities that required commissioning and populating with a variety of species and relocation of multiple laboratory groups. As the MSU research program grew, so did the animal care program. Under Dr. Hankenson’s leadership, new efforts in dedicated and efficient service delivery for training of scientists, veterinary technical support, specialized breeding colony management, and conversion of decentralized cage wash areas into a centralized cage wash operation were successfully undertaken. In addition, a plethora of rodent caging styles were converted to individually ventilated racking systems across all facilities. Strong partnerships between CAR, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources were established to collaborate on the oversight of the large animal and agricultural species utilized in teaching, production, and research programs. These critical management experiences were instrumental in preparing Dr. Hankenson to return to lead ULAR at Penn.
In partnership with the CVM at MSU, Dr. Hankenson established a veterinary student summer externship in laboratory animal medicine that blended into their established NIH-Merial summer program. These students were very successful in finalizing projects into publications and presentations at the annual Phi Zeta Day retreats. Rotation students from both the veterinary and veterinary nursing programs were routinely welcomed to CAR throughout the academic year to learn more about the specialty of laboratory animal medicine and participate in clinical rounds, journal clubs and training classes. These educational experiences evolved as a natural extension from Dr. Hankenson’s prior time at Penn where she served as the ULAR Residency supervisor and summer student advisor. Dr. Hankenson’s research interests were founded in infectious diseases, with a focus in immunology, retrovirology and Feline Leukemia Virus. As her career progressed, she transitioned into laboratory animal science, where she focused on refinements for mice and rats as biomedical models. While first at Penn, she undertook a rigorous evaluation of tail biopsy practices for genotyping of laboratory mice, including aspects of tissue collection and assessments of appropriate analgesia. For this work, she was honored with the 2009 Pravin N. Bhatt Young Investigator prize from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). Working with students and residents at Penn, she reviewed surgical approaches for supporting thermoregulation in mice undergoing procedures. While at MSU, she challenged the convention of 3-alternating scrub applications during pre-surgical skin preparation, as she found that it can lead to hypothermia in rodents without improving skin disinfection levels compared to topical application of modern disinfecting agents. Assessment of thermoregulation and provision of supplementary heat to maintain mice in their thermoneutral zone is another area of Dr. Hankenson’s research. Over the last few years, she has been carrying out studies to assess novel heat sources and incubators for pre-warming of animals due for surgery, as well as undertaking behavioral assessments of mice housed within rooms with temperatures set 15°F warmer than standard housing rooms. Overall, her interest in continuous refinements for rodent medicine and the importance of the 3Rs (replace, reduce, refine) for animal care are intended to benefit the predominant species utilized in biomedical research. She is currently working on the second edition of her CRC Press textbook entitled Critical Care Management for Laboratory Mice and Rats. Her publication record includes 44 peer-reviewed publications, nine book chapters, and more than 100 posters/presentations. Nationally, Claire has served on the Board of Directors for ACLAM and is a Past-President. She is an ad-hoc site visit Specialist for AAALAC (international accreditation and assessment program) and helped to manage two successful triennial AAALAC site visits at MSU, resulting in full campus-wide (biomedical and agricultural) accreditation. In 2022, she will complete her 6-year term on the Board of Directors for PRIM&R (Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research) serving as the board chair. She recently completed her assignment to the NIH Working Group on Enhancing Rigor, Transparency and Translatability in Animal Research, with recommendations delivered to NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins, and his Advisory Committee in June 2021 (https://acd.od.nih.gov/documents/presentations/ 06112021_ACD_WorkingGroup_FinalReport.pdf).
Dr. Hankenson is thrilled to be rejoining Penn and PennVet to support their animal research programs and to help guide ULAR into the future. In close collaboration with the Office of Animal Welfare, she will strive to balance the critical research and teaching missions with care for the animal models. Regarding academics and mentorship, she is excited to lead the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine within the Department of Pathobiology and to advise on collaborative and independent research projects. Her goals are to foster a positive and inclusive work environment, strengthen relationships with diverse research teams, and to advocate for the responsible conduct of research, One Health endeavors, and scientific advancements for the benefit of animals and humans alike.
Selected References: Hankenson FC, Garzel LM, Fischer DD, Nolan B, Hankenson KD. Evaluation of tail biopsy collection in laboratory mice (Mus musculus): vertebral ossification, DNA quantity and acute behavioral responses. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 47(6): 10-18, 2008.
Selected references continued for Dr. Hankenson:
Braden G, Brice AK, Hankenson FC. Adverse Effects of Vapocoolant and Topical Anesthesia for Tail Biopsy of Pre-Weanling Mice. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci; 54(3): 291-298, 2015.
Skorupski AM, Zhang J, Ferguson D, Lawrence F, Hankenson FC. Quantification of Induced Hypothermia from Aseptic Scrub Applications during Rodent Surgery Preparation. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci; 56(5): 562-569, 2017.
Hankenson FC, Marx JO, Gordon CJ, David JM. Effects of Rodent Thermoregulation on Animal Models in the Research Environment. Comp Med; 68 (6): 425-438, 2018.
Hankenson FC, Mauntel M, Willard J, Pittsley L, Degg W, Burnell N, Vierling A, Griffis S. Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide Decontamination of N95 Masks in a Dedicated Animal Research Facility for Reuse During a Novel Coronavirus Pandemic, Applied Biosafety, Journal of ABSA International: 25(3): 142-149, 2020.
Hankenson FC, Kim J, Lee TM, Lawrence F, Del Valle JM. Using Waterless Alcohol Based Antiseptic for Skin Preparation and Active Thermal Support in Laboratory Rats. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci; 60(3): 365-373, 2021.