Research Insights
URAR welcomes new clinical assistant professor in Laboratory Animal Medicine
The University Research Animal Resources team is excited to welcome Gianni Campellone as the new clinical assistant professor in the Laboratory Animal Medicine program.
Campellone always wanted to work with animals and pursued a degree in zoology before deciding to go into veterinary medicine. After initially getting rejected from veterinary school, however, he began to pursue a master’s degree in laboratory animal medicine. Even once he was accepted into the veterinary program at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, he continued his work in the related field.
“Truth be told, even with a degree in laboratory animal science, I entered veterinary school with the intention of pursuing zoological medicine,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to work with a variety of species.”
During the summer between his second and third year, he took an internship at Tulane’s National Primate Research Center. It was his first experience working with non-human primates, and he was hooked.
“After zoo medicine, laboratory animal medicine is the next best specialty for working with a wide variety of species,” he said.
After he finished his veterinary program, Campellone accepted an internship with Mannheimer Foundation, Inc., a laboratory that breeds non-human primates for use in biomedical research. He eventually moved to Emory University and worked with their laboratory animal residency before coming to UGA this month.
“Much of my professional experience has been in non-human primate medicine, particularly old-world species, but I also enjoy working with other traditional lab animal species such as rodents, ferrets, rabbits, fish, pigs, and the occasional cat and dog,” he said.
Campellone is currently studying for the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) specialty boards next summer and hopes to be an ACLAM Diplomate one day.
“I am very excited to get the opportunity to work with UGA’s wide variety of species and put my last four years of training to good use,” he said, also noting a passion for teaching. “I feel honored to be a part of such an elite University, and to work at such an outstanding College of Veterinary Medicine.”