Richard Rockar

About Richard Rockar

Preclinical research manager and leader with a distinguished record across corporate and academic environments. Currently supporting the medical device industry through surgical leadership in exploratory and GLP studies, with an emphasis on scientific integrity, regulatory excellence, and best‑in‑class animal care and welfare. Recognized for building trusted partnerships with senior leadership, federal regulatory agencies, and veterinary professional organizations to advance innovative science while establishing durable benchmarks for animal welfare. Known for a strategic, disciplined leadership style that balances operational execution with long‑term organizational objectives. Extensive experience leading geographically distributed veterinary teams and complex animal care programs, including responsibility for client engagement, facility renovation and expansion, workforce development, and budget stewardship. Consistently align programs with institutional values while enabling scalable, high‑quality research operations. Developer of the Animal Trauma Triage (ATT) score, a seminal injury severity assessment tool created during my surgical residency. The ATT score remains in active global use more than three decades after publication and has been cited nearly 100 times in peer‑reviewed literature.

Experience

1. Manager, Preclinical Veterinary Research

   Veranex

   Dec 2024 — Present · Atlanta, GA, US

   Provides preclinical surgical model development and delivery at Veranex, a global, comprehensive medical technology contract research organization (CRO). Performs surgical, interventional, and medical procedures and leads the development of new preclinical research models. Provides leadership and strategic business support to preclinical research operations, including research protocol development, research report writing, necropsy support, technical staff education and training, and emergency coverage for the Atlanta vivarium. Supports and advises on research logistics, planning, training, and execution of preclinical research. Provides mentorship and education to the animal care, veterinary, and surgical technical staff, with dedicated oversight for 10 direct and indirect reports. Supports operations to maintain compliance with APHIS USDA, OLAW, FDA, DEA, ISO, and guidelines. Serves as the Research Integrity Officer (RIO) and a voting member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for PCS-ATL. Guest lecturer for Emory University’s Master’s program in Biomedical Innovation and Development – Advanced Therapeutics.

Education

• University of Pennsylvania

  VMD, Cum Laude, Veterinary Medicine

  1984 — 1988

• Allegheny College

  BS, Summa Cum Laude, Biology/Biological Sciences, General

Skills

• Laboratory Skills
• Diagnostics
• Laboratory Animal Medicine
• Animal Behavior
• Anesthesia
• Pathology
• Animal Work
• Life Sciences
• Medicine
• Veterinary
• Dogs
• Animal Welfare
• Toxicology
• Veterinary Medicine
• Pharmaceuticals
• Pets
• Radiology
• Animal Models
• Internal Medicine
• Clinical Study Design
• Clinical Development
• Laboratory
• In Vivo
• Vaccines
• Medical Devices
• Clinical Research
• Biotechnology
• Immunology
• Pharmacology
• Clinical Medicine
• Surgery
• Epidemiology
• Neurology
• Virology
• Lifesciences
• Orthopedic
• Microbiology
• Hardware Diagnostics
• Pharmaceutical Industry
• Fda