Thomas P. Schaer, VMD

Rood Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, KY (1996 to 1997)
Intern, Equine Medicine

New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (2000 to 2003)
Resident, Surgery

The Wharton School (2016 to 2016)
Mack Technology Fellow

Our ethos revolves around converging varied fields in medical translation and our research and service are informed and driven by unmet clinical needs arising from my clinical veterinary practice and the interaction with my colleagues in human medical practice. The emphasis lies on musculoskeletal tissue injury and repair.

Five core beliefs guide our work: The first is finding the perfect balance between innovation and sustainability, as we’ve grown our program from a small one-person lab 15 years ago to an international platform in translational R&D today. Our second principle is to retain our sense of family, no matter how large we grow. Third comes our passion and team spirit, so essential to providing the partnership that our collaborators and customers need. Our fourth principle is to make use of the latest technology to advance our understanding of musculoskeletal disease and advance new medical therapies. Last, but by no means least, come the ‘4Cs’ — curiosity, courage, consciousness, and collaboration — representing an attitude and state of mind that guides our work every day.

I lead the development of grant submissions (NIH, NSF, DOD) of translational research projects and IND/IDE — enabling pivotal studies for medical product development. These cross-functional teams constitute the foundation of teaching and training in an ecosystem of the translational and regulatory sciences. Our work has resulted in the global clinical launch of over 16 new technologies, most recently for spinal muscle atrophy in children and smart devices in spinal pedicle instruments.