Elizabeth Zipf’s Passion for Animal Care

Charles River veterinarian loves the practical side of research

Elizabeth Zipf, a clinical veterinarian, initially began her work at Charles River as an intern. Since she was very young, she knew she had a passion for helping animals. Growing up, she spent most of her time with horses and began working as the Assistant Barn Manager at 16. One day at the barn, a student came to find Elizabeth to tell her that one of the horses was injured--at the time, Elizabeth didn’t know what to do and went to find a more experienced adult. This was a pivotal point for Elizabeth: she decided she “didn’t want to be the one running around trying to find someone who knows what to do, she wants to be the person who knows what to do, and that has been the driver for her career.”

When Elizabeth attended veterinary school, she realized as much as she enjoyed horses as friends, she was not meant to study equine medicine and instead wanted to focus on dogs and cats. Soon after, she found herself taking an elective class on laboratory animal medicine and absolutely fell in love with it. The main driver for her passion for helping animals was her ability to advance science and human health while providing individual animal care. She is able to see the larger purpose of what she is doing, as the pharmaceutical advancements her work supports, work she started as an intern, have now begun impacting patients. 

From Intern to Veterinarian

As a student at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and specifically as a lab animal student, Elizabeth found out about Charles River’s internship program, applied, and was accepted. She credits that internship with the opportunity to learn a tremendous amount by gaining hands-on experience that cannot be replicated through a textbook. Following the summer internship, she began working weekends at Charles River to continue gaining that hands-on experience. The following summer, Elizabeth accepted another internship at Charles River and eventually applied for a full-time position, which began in the summer following her graduation from veterinary school.

Focusing on Animal Welfare

A major opportunity that Elizabeth embraced after she received her degree was her joining the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The objective of this committee is to review and approve the use of animals for research, ensuring the highest standards of science and animal welfare. In her role on the committee, Elizabeth submits her own protocols and supports others in their drafting and submission process. She finds this work rewarding in that it contributes to Charles River’s larger 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement of animals in research) initiatives, ensuring animals are being used appropriately in research.  “It’s one of those rare moments when you get to prevent problems. I get to work with the scientists and make sure the animals are being used appropriately.” 

As a clinical veterinarian, Elizabeth has a wide range of responsibilities. She works on regulatory compliance, ensuring protocols are accurate and approved, on routine husbandry, ensuring animals are healthy day-to-day, and on emergency care cases. 

Elizabeth’s passion for her work with animals is what initially attracted her to this field, but she also believed when looking at careers to that she needed to be practical and “figure out what problems you can tolerate and what problems you can’t.” She has always found an interest in working with animals, but through different roles, classes, and experiences, she was able to narrow down the type of veterinary career that she enjoys. This practical experience led to her becoming a clinical veterinarian, enjoying the work that she does on a daily basis while feeling fulfilled that her work results in medical advancements that ultimately benefit patients.