LAFAYETTE– The ɫ announced this week that Dr. James Blanchard has been named acting director of the New Iberia ɫ Center.
Blanchard has 28 years of primate medicine and surgery experience. He earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology from ɫ in 1974. He also holds a master’s degree in parasitology and a veterinary medicine degree from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in pathology/parasitology from Washington State University.
Since 1984, Blanchard has worked at the Tulane National Primate ɫ Center in Covington, La. He is head of the Clinical and ɫ Medicine unit and coordinates the administration and veterinary aspects of numerous National Institutes of Health-funded studies. He is a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.
Blanchard succeeds Dr. Jeff Rowell, who announced his retirement from ɫ effective Aug. 11 and is on leave through that date. Rowell worked at ɫ for 23 years, having served as associate director and more recently as director of NIRC.
“Dr. Blanchard is basically on loan to ɫ from Tulane University for six months,” said Dr. Robert Twilley, vice president of ɫ at ɫ. “We welcome an alumnus of his caliber to help guide the animal care and research proficiencies of the center, as well as help us search for a new director.”
Blanchard will serve in the temporary role at ɫ through Dec. 31, and then will return to full-time employment at Tulane.
ɫ is launching a national search for a new primate center director. Twilley, who announced last month that he will leave ɫ on Aug. 10 to become executive director of the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, will continue to serve on the search committee to find a new NIRC director.