Interim

As of July 1, 2026 this position is being fulfilled by two interim staff members:

• Kent Osborn, DVM, Interim Executive Director
• Lauren Kreuger, DVM, Interim Campus Veterinarian

The UCSD Animal Care Program is a team of dedicated professionals committed to improving human and animal health, and promoting valuable advances in science. We do this by facilitating and participating in research, teaching, and training, while ensuring humane animal care.

Animal Care Program is the centralized in-vivo research services department which provides animal husbandry and healthcare services for the UCSD campus.

We maintained a workforce of approximately 180 staff, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and laboratory animal specialists, many of whom are certified in the field. This team of professionals were on campus through the pandemic to maintain a level of excellence in the care of hundreds of thousands of animals, as they are committed to do so each and every day.

For the last forty years the animal care and use program has maintained continued full accreditation for the UCSD’s program of animal care and use which demonstrates excellence in the use of animals in research. The three-year Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) site visit accreditation review requires considerable preparation and coordinated effort with many other units on campus, research staff and faculty.

We offer technically advanced research services for UCSD investigators as well as for our industry partners through service agreements administered by the contracts and grants office. We provide expert technical skills to our clients to facilitate cutting edge research, and generate revenue for our program to offset operating costs.

The ACP Laboratory Animal Medicine Training program, has a three year program certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) succeeded in producing four diplomats in the specialty field. All residents who have completed the program are employed in major academic institutions throughout the United States.

The Animal Care Program, Centralized Research Service Facility was founded on a $15M DHHS C06 facilities grant award. The facility operates the first of its kind centralized cage-wash facility which operates independently from any of the animal facilities, enabling enormous cost savings for the campus – which includes utility and maintenance savings, operational efficiencies, and lower construction costs associated with new facilities. Net estimates of the overall savings to the campus thus far exceed $50M.

For more about Animal Research for the Public Good at UC San Diego click here.