[December 5, 2016; Philadelphia, PA] – The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) announces the appointment of Dr. Oliver Garden, BSc, BVetMed, PhD, as Chair of the Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia.
As Chair, Garden will lead the department in providing the best in clinical care to companion animal patients at Ryan Hospital; developing new approaches to improving companion animal health through innovative and impactful research; and educating and training the next generation of veterinary students.
Prior to joining Penn Vet, Garden served as Professor of Comparative Medicine and Immunology and head of the Oncology Special Interest Group at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London. He also served as a clinician in the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, the largest companion animal referral center in Europe, where his clinical interests were gastrointestinal and immune-mediated diseases. Garden’s research focuses on regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in dogs and mice, in both the healthy organism and in the context of autoimmune disease and cancer.
“Dr. Garden’s internationally recognized expertise and research, his enthusiasm for interdisciplinary collaboration, and his desire for increased public understanding of the importance of veterinary medicine make him a perfect fit for Penn Vet,” said Joan C. Hendricks, VMD, PhD, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “We look forward to watching the Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia thrive under his leadership.”
Garden graduated from the Royal Veterinary College after earning his Bachelor of Science degree from King’s College London. Following a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery, Garden completed a Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD program in small animal gastroenterology and immunology at the Royal Veterinary College, followed by a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He then held a residency in small animal internal medicine at Cornell University. Garden also completed a Wellcome Trust Advanced Fellowship within the Department of Immunology at Imperial College London, where he later served as a Visiting Professor. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Companion Animals.
Penn Vet’s Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia plays a vital role in the School’s three-part mission of research, education, and service. The department is home to hospital staff and 45 faculty members who combine clinical practice with ongoing research, positioning veterinary medicine as a leading influence in both animal and human health.