Comparative Medicine Branch

Crystal L. Thomas, D.V.M.

Facility Veterinarian
Building 50 Shared Animal Facility

Dr. Thomas obtained her DVM from Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. Upon graduation she entered the US Army Veterinary Corps on active duty and has held posts as the base veterinarian at Andrews and Bolling AFB. She was also an Instructor and Class Advisor for the 91T Army Veterinary Technician Training School at Forest Glen in Silver Spring. In 1994, Dr. Thomas returned to the Army reserve to pursuing a full time 3-year postdoctoral fellowship in laboratory animal medicine at the Biologic Resources Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago where her research interests were in work with rodent and nonhuman primate models of hypertension. She completed her 4th postdoctoral year as a senior staff fellow with the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, Comparative Medicine Branch in North Carolina.

In 1998 Dr. Thomas returned to active duty Army and staff positions at the Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth VA, Clinical Investigations and Research Department, and the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute, Veterinary Sciences Department, where she was responsible for managing day to day operations and maintaining advanced level training programs for users of the animal facilities at each location. After transferring to NIH in October 2002, Dr. Thomas served in a variety of rewarding roles with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Animal Health and Care Section.

Dr. Thomas left NIH in 2008 to pursue other lab animal interests, but returned in August 2009 to become the Facility Veterinarian for the Building 50 Shared Animal Facility. Her main research interests are in the areas of technical training and the appropriate use of analgesics and supportive care for research subjects.

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP)
Awards

NINDS Merit Award recipient (2005)
National Defense Service Medal w/ Bronze Service star (May 2002)
Meritorious Unit Commendation, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth VA (May 2000)

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