Animal Program (Comparative Medicine Branch and Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch)
William R. Elkins, D.V.M.
Associate Director, Laboratory Animal Resources
Director, Animal Program, Division of Intramural Research
Chief, Comparative Medicine Branch
Contact: For contact information, search the NIH Enterprise Directory.
Major Areas of Research
- Biostability of research models and issues related to animal welfare
- Adventitious infections and inherent disease conditions of laboratory animals
- Nonhuman primate-modeled infectious diseases and vaccine development support
Biography
Education
D.V.M., 1974, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, MO
Dr. Elkins obtained his D.V.M. from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine in 1974. He then completed a one-year internship in large animal surgery at the University of California, School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Following several years of clinical practice in California, he completed a residency in comparative pathology at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Ft. Detrick, Maryland. He joined the NIAID Division of Intramural Research (DIR), Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), Immunodeficiency Viruses Section, as a senior staff laboratory animal veterinarian in 1992 and was promoted to head of the Experimental Primate Virology Section, LID, in 1997. Dr. Elkins was appointed DIR Associate Director for Nonhuman Primate Research in 2000 and DIR Associate Director for Laboratory Animal Resources and Animal Program Director in December 2001. He became specialty board-certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1996.
Selected Publications
Gozalo AS, Lambert LE, Zerfas PM, Elkins WR. Detection of early myocardial cell death in owl monkeys (Aotus nancymai) using complement component C9 immunohistochemistry in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded heart tissues: A retrospective study. J Med Primatol. 2022 Apr;51(2):93-100.
Gozalo AS, Zerfas PM, Elkins WR, Gieseck RL. Retrospective Study of Intercalated Disk Defects Associated with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Atrial Thrombosis, and Heart Failure in BALB/c Mice Deficient in IL4 Receptor α. Comp Med. 2020 Jun 1;70(3):266-276.
Gozalo AS, Elkins WR, Lambert LE. Eosinophilic aortitis with thoracic aortic aneurysm and rupture in a captive-born owl monkey. J Med Primatol. 2018 Dec;47(6):423-426.
Michaud CR, Herbert R, Elkins WR, Gozalo AS. Acute Occlusion of the Abdominal Aorta with Sudden Paraplegia in a Captive Mustached Tamarin (Saguinus mystax). Comp Med. 2017 Oct 1;67(5):456-460. PMID: 28935009; PMCID: PMC5621575.
Gozalo AS, Elkins WR, Lambert LE, Stock F, Thomas ML 3rd, Woodward RA. Genetic diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates during an outbreak in a non-human primate research colony. J Med Primatol. 2016 Dec;45(6):312-317.
Michaud CR, Qin J, Elkins WR, Gozalo AS. Comparison of 3 Topical Treatments against Ulcerative Dermatitis in Mice with a C57BL/6 Background. Comp Med. 2016 Apr;66(2):100-4. PMID: 27053563; PMCID: PMC4825958.
Core Facilities
Comparative Medicine Branch (CMB)
- Experimental Primate Virology Section
- Infectious Disease Pathogenesis Section
- Mouse Genetics and Gene Manipulation Section
- Laboratory Animal Medicine Section
- Laboratory Animal Science Section
- The NIH Gnotobiotic Research Animal Facility
Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch (RMVB)
- Biocontainment Clinical Services Section
- Veterinary Pathology Section
Services Offered
Rodent and nonhuman primate research animal models and research animal support