Megan Albertelli is named to lead Stanford’s Department of Comparative Medicine

Animal model expert and genetics researcher Megan Albertelli, DVM, PhD, now heads Stanford School of Medicine department that contrasts human and animal health.

- By Rosanne Spector

Megan Albertelli

Megan Albertelli, DVM, PhD, a laboratory animal medicine expert and geneticist, has taken on the role of chair of Stanford School of Medicine’s Department of Comparative Medicine, which focuses on juxtaposing animal and human health. Albertelli, a professor of comparative medicine, came to Stanford Medicine as a staff veterinarian in 2007 and joined the faculty in 2009. She stepped into the position April 1, succeeding Sherril Green, DVM, PhD, who retired after 29 years in the department.

“With her training in laboratory animal medicine and human genetics, Dr. Albertelli is exceptionally qualified to lead our world-class comparative medicine faculty,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University, in an announcement to the Stanford Medicine community. She has been “a superb researcher, tireless collaborator and gifted educator,” he added.

“The idea of comparative medicine is that we can learn a lot about the health of people and animals by studying how they’re similar and different — we can learn about causes of disease and potential new treatments for people and animals,” Albertelli said. “We also aim to understand animals’ needs so we can better provide for their well-being.”

The department’s 16 faculty members conduct basic and clinical research and collaborate with investigators on animal research. The department also administers the Stanford University Veterinary Service Center, which provides laboratory animal care for research throughout the university and supports a residency program in laboratory medicine, a fellowship in veterinary pathology and a master’s program in lab animal science.

Albertelli said she hopes to expand the training programs. “I am looking forward to increasing our training for the next generation of people who study comparative medicine and work with animal models,” she said.

Albertelli earned doctoral degrees in veterinary medicine and in human genetics before coming to Stanford Medicine and has since collaborated on many projects as well as leading her own research.

One of her interests is multiple sclerosis: With Ray Sobel, MD, a professor of pathology, she is developing new mouse models for the condition and investigating environmental factors that might play a role in its course. One hypothesis she’s investigating, first posed by the late Edward Rubenstein, MD, a professor of primary care and population health, is that a compound concentrated in sugar beets can foster multiple sclerosis in people who ingest milk or meat from livestock fed sugar beet byproducts. 

Another line of her research, with Mark Krasnow, MD, PhD, the Paul and Mildred Berg Professor and a professor of pathology, is developing the mouse lemur as an animal model for genetic research using noninvasive techniques.

“It is exciting being part of a department that guides animal research to answer really important questions that are impactful for human health while maintaining the highest level of animal welfare,” Albertelli said.

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu.