In this position, Sheets provides leadership of animal care research throughout the UI campus including animal research facilities in the Carver College of Medicine, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and College of Public Health. He oversees the veterinary care of research animals, the establishment and enforcement of protocols to protect animal and human welfare, and regulatory compliance.
Sheets also serves on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which furthers the goals of scientific research while promoting the humane treatment of animal subjects.
“Jim bring a wealth of experience to this role and ably demonstrated his commitment to supporting the research enterprise while providing excellent oversight of the animal care facilities during his role as interim director,” said Heather Gipson, UI Assistant Vice President for Research Compliance.
Sheets came to UI in 2013 as an associate director in the Office of Animal Resources after a 22-year military career, retiring from the Army with the rank of colonel. Prior to coming to UI, he was the director of the Animal Care and Use Review Office at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command at Fort Detrick, Md. He also has 15 years of experience as a consulting veterinarian for national and international organizations, and extensive experience in veterinary support to infectious disease animal research labs at every level of biocontainment.
Sheets holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Iowa State University and a Master in Public Health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development provides resources and support to researchers and scholars at the University of Iowa and to businesses across Iowa with the goal of forging new frontiers of discovery and innovation and promoting a culture of creativity that benefits the campus, the state, and the world. More at http://research.uiowa.edu, and on Twitter: @DaretoDiscover.