Current Senior Staff
Alexis García, DVM
Research/Surgery Veterinarian. Former DCM postdoc, co-principal investigator, research scientist, and manager of the transgenic core facility. Developed Dutch Belted rabbit model of enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection and renal disease to study hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in humans. Prior to re-joining DCM in 2019, Alex was in Puerto Rico where he worked in private practice and also as Vivarium Director and Chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee at the Molecular Sciences Research Center (MSRC, University of Puerto Rico). At MSRC, Alex collaborated in the design and development of the new state-of-the-art ~20K sq. ft. vivarium. Currently, Alex is veterinarian in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex and works for MIT’s Committee on Animal Care. His main research interests and publications include E. coli pathogenesis and the role of microbes in cancer.
Zhongming Ge, PhD, is a Molecular Biologist in the Division. His research interests include identification of virulence factors from gastric and enterohepatic helicobacters, the pathogen-host interactions and molecular mechanisms of liver and intestinal tumorigenesis in mouse models. He is also actively involved in collaborative research on several NIH-funded projects as well as the training and supervision of undergraduates and post-doctoral fellows.
Alison M Hayward, DVM, CPIA, DACLAM, is a Senior Clinical/Surgical Veterinarian with 20 years of experience in private small animal practice as well as laboratory animal medicine and surgery in academic and contract research settings. Dr. Hayward has primary interests in comparative medicine and anesthesia, surgical model development, and medical device testing. She has experience with regulatory affairs governing animal use in research, IACUC administration, GLP regulations for device assessment, as well as protocol/project management. Her focus is within the Traverso Lab on drug delivery devices in animal models. In addition, she coordinates animal containment studies performed at MIT.
Martina N Jackson VMD, DACLAM, is a Research/Clinical veterinarian within the Division of Comparative Medicine, where she partakes in clinical responsibilities with nonhuman primates and large animals species as well as coordinates the summer veterinary student program. Dr. Jackson received her veterinary medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her laboratory animal medicine postdoctoral residency training through the combined program at Emory University and Yerkes National Primate Research Center (YNPRC) in Atlanta, GA, followed by a Nonhuman Primate Fellowship at YNPRC. With experience in both nonhuman primates and other traditional laboratory species, she holds a combination of interests, including but not limited to behavior and stress modulation, the refinement of laboratory animal care in research, breeding colony management, and surgical supportive care. Dr. Jackson also enjoys providing mentorship and training to various professionals and students within the veterinary field.
Robin Kramer, DVM, DACLAM, is Veterinary Coordinator of Research Services, acting as a liaison between DCM and the Committee on Animal Care (CAC). Dr. Kramer also provides clinical support for multiple species. She received her veterinary degree from the University of Missouri and spent 5 years in private practice before completing a post-doctoral fellowship in laboratory animal medicine at the Tri-Institutional Training Program in New York City. In addition to her clinical experience, Dr. Kramer has IACUC (CAC) experience at multiple institutions, most recently with Boston University. Dr. Kramer’s research interests include the tumor microenvironment and investigating spontaneous disease in laboratory animal species. Dr. Kramer is available to assist with protocol writing and review as well as consult on unexpected outcomes due to clinical disease or experimental procedures.
