This is really a dream position for me. I was drawn by the caseload, and the university is quite prestigious when it comes to veterinary medicine, high academic rigor and high standards for students. The school is doing a lot of good work in terms of research, especially in the large animal realm.
Welcome Dr. Caroline Griffin
Griffin joins the Internal Medicine service at HLA
Researching marine parasites in the Gulf of Mexico and flamingos at a zoo in New Orleans as an undergraduate were stepping stones to an accomplished career in research, public health, and clinical practice for Dr. Caroline Griffin, the newest member of the Internal Medicine team at Hospital for Large Animals (HLA) and assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. With a doctoral degree in immunology, she brings a spectrum of experiences treating and studying livestock, horses, and other large animals.
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Griffin set her career path early. “As a kid, I never had another job I wanted to do. The first time we took our dog to the vet, I said, ‘I want to do that,’ and that was it.”
At Tulane University, she majored in ecology and evolutionary biology, with a minor in marine biology, and spent her summers on research vessels studying and classifying marine parasites. She worked at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and conducted research with an ecologist at Tulane into the social behaviors of breeding populations of captive American flamingos.
“Flamingos have complex social networks,” she says. “Captive populations have been shown to pair-bond for many breeding seasons, but this isn’t what happens in the wild. We studied a stable population through the years to understand aggression and breeding patterns, which are used as metrics for captive animal welfare. We then introduced new flamingos to the population to assess both individual responses and the group as a whole to changing flock dynamics. All of this helps establish the best welfare practices to care for captive animals, especially captive breeding populations.”
Before attending the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UT), Griffin was a veterinary technician at an animal shelter in Memphis, where she had worked for several years on and off through college. Initially planning to specialize in small animal surgery, she changed course and enrolled in the dual-degree D.V.M./Master of Public Health program during her first year of veterinary school.
“The program tied together important concepts in veterinary medicine and the realm of public health in relation to human medical issues and food supply, keeping those animals healthy and telling the public what that means,” she says of her change in studies.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service awarded Griffin a scholarship and an internship working in slaughter factories and processing plants. This experience ignited her interest in large animal medicine, particularly in the livestock industry. While earning her degree, she participated in research into a type of bacteria that causes bovine respiratory disease under a mentor who later encouraged her to earn her Ph.D. Outside of her studies and work, Griffin and her certified therapy dog, Billie Rae, volunteered with the Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT) program, visiting cardiac and trauma patients at UT Medical Center.
After completing her dual degree, Griffin secured an internship in livestock medicine and surgery at Colorado State University. “After my first couple of months in the internship, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I can practice advanced medicine and surgery, and also work with community companion and production animals, so every day is different for me. The opportunity to work with pet pig owners and ranchers whose livelihoods depend on animals is really an exciting and demanding way of making a living for me. I feel like I have an impact on my patients, and the livestock industry and food industry.”
Griffin followed up her internship with a residency in large animal internal medicine back at UT. She treated and performed surgery on cattle, sheep, goats, lamas, alpacas, pigs, and horses. Teaching students on the clinic floor and delivering lectures in the veterinary curriculum became newfound interests for her, too.
During her residency, Griffin earned her Ph.D. in immunology at UT. She studied how the placenta responds to maternal viral infections during gestation in ruminants and completed three research projects, one examining blood flow within the placenta in healthy, pregnant cattle, and two studies on placental immune response in sheep and cattle infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus. She also found time to volunteer with Vets for Pets of Homeless Owners in Knoxville, a clinic serving dogs and cats with unhoused owners.
Griffin started up her new role at Cummings School in August. She was looking to work with both livestock and equine patients, and found a perfect fit at HLA.
“This is really a dream position for me,” she says. “I was drawn by the caseload, and the university is quite prestigious when it comes to veterinary medicine, high academic rigor and high standards for students. The school is doing a lot of good work in terms of research, especially in the large animal realm.”
Griffin is particularly excited to teach veterinary students in clinics and in lectures and is considering pursuing further education in teaching.
“I have a special interest in teaching, it’s one of my favorite parts of working in academia—to see cases and teach students at the same time,” she says. “I’m excited to grow into my role as an educator.”
In terms of research, Griffin is keeping her options open for the moment. She may further her doctoral studies or contribute to research already ongoing at Cummings School.
Griffin moved to Massachusetts with her husband, horse, and three dogs. “What also drew us here was the location—an excellent job and excellent location. The food is great, the culture awesome, and the environment is beautiful. It’s a trail runner’s paradise.”
Feeling very welcomed and jumping right in at HLA, Griffin says, “This is the place I’m meant to be right now. I’m looking forward to getting to know my colleagues and students, and to the caseload being a little different from where I came from. I’m a lifelong learner and excited for a new challenge. I’m really excited for all of it.”
Department:
Dept. of Clinical Sciences