Staff Veterinarians

Kelly A. Metcalf Pate, DVM, PhD, DACLAM, the Director of the Division of Comparative Medicine. Dr. Metcalf Pate is a veterinarian-scientist with expertise in virology, platelet immunology and the development and refinement of animal models of human disease. She received her B.A. through the University Professors Program at Boston University, obtained her D.V.M. from Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, and pursued both veterinary specialty training in laboratory animal medicine and her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Prior to joining M.I.T., she was faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she facilitated the development and refinement of animal models of HIV pathogenesis as a chair of the Center for AIDS Research Cure Scientific Working Group, and oversaw the research training programs for veterinarians and veterinary students and founded the J.H.U. summer Veterinary Scholars Research Program and the summer Laboratory Animal Fellowship.

Dr. Metcalf Pate has served on multiple national committees, including on the National Academies of Sciences and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on the Nonhuman Primate Model Systems: State of the Science and Future Needs, and on the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director Working Group on Catalyzing the Development and Use of Novel Alternative Methods to Advance Biomedical Research. Passionate about inspiring the next generation of comparative medicine professionals to engage in research, she serves on the planning committee for the National Veterinary Scholars Symposium.

Tiffany M. Borjeson, DVM, DACLAM, CPIA is the Associate Director of the Division of Comparative Medicine. Dr. Borjeson received her veterinary degree from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and completed her postdoctoral residency in comparative medicine through the training program at MIT. She has extensive experience in protocol and animal model development, with an expertise in cardiovascular surgery and transgenesis.

Prior to returning to MIT, she served as the Associate Director at Brown University’s Center for Animal Resources and Education and as an Adjunct Professor / interim Director of Animal Resources in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at Virginia Tech. She also serves as an ad hoc Consultant for AAALAC International.

In her role as Associate Director at MIT, Dr. Borjeson provides both broad programmatic oversight and direct clinical care to research animals.

Magalie Boucher, DVM, MS, DACVP, is an Assistant Director and Head of Comparative Pathology within the Division of Comparative Medicine.  She received her veterinary degree from the University of Montreal and completed her residency training in Anatomic Pathology and her Master of Science at the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab.

Dr Boucher is responsible for coordinating the pathology needs of the Division’s research, diagnostic, and surveillance missions. She also directs the 3-month Pathology and Diagnostic Laboratory Rotation, for the Division’s Laboratory Animal Medicine postdoctoral fellows who are preparing for the ACLAM certifying examination. Dr. Boucher has extensive experience in investigative and toxicologic pathology having worked in both Contract Research Organization and the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Prior to joining MIT, she was an Associate Research Fellow at Pfizer supporting research in pain, neuroscience and metabolism (primarily nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and cancer cachexia) with an emphasis on developing investigative pathology techniques, animal model characterization, efficacy studies and preclinical safety assessment.

Amanda Armijo PhD, DVM, is a Clinical & Research Veterinarian in the Department of Comparative Medicine at MIT. She earned her PhD in Molecular & Medical Pharmacology from UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, where her research on nucleotide salvage metabolism contributed to understanding hematopoietic and cancer cell proliferation. In 2017, she received her DVM from Cornell University, followed by an internship at Tufts University and a residency in Comparative Medicine at MIT. Her current research investigates the mutagenic effects of environmental toxicants, such as nitrosamines, and the immunological deficiencies that allow opportunistic pathogens like Helicobacter to induce disease.

Niora Fabian, MS, DVM, DACLAM, is a Research/Clinical Veterinarian in DCM in the Giovanni Traverso lab at MIT. Dr. Fabian received her veterinary degree at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, where she also received a master’s degree in Veterinary Medical Sciences. Dr. Fabian completed her postdoctoral training in laboratory animal medicine at DCM in 2021. Prior to this, she completed an internship in avian and exotic animal medicine and surgery at Angell Animal Medical Center, and has practiced avian and exotic medicine for several years in Massachusetts. She currently provides clinical support and collaborates on various projects within the Traverso lab, including drug delivery devices in animal models. Dr. Fabian also provides care and research support for the diverse species at MIT, ranging from pigs, rabbits, zebra finches, and non-human primates. Dr. Fabian’s primary research interests are infectious diseases, animal model development, and performing studies that support evidence-based medicine to improve animal care and welfare.

Jessica M. Izzi, DVM, MLAS, DACLAM is the Assistant Director for Clinical Services at the Division of Comparative Medicine. She received her veterinary degree in 2013 from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in laboratory animal medicine at Johns Hopkins University in 2016. Prior to joining MIT, she spent 2 years as a clinical veterinarian at the NIH and 6 years directing the large animal medicine and surgery and residency training programs at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Izzi’s primary passion is performing both clinical and research-related surgical procedures, and she particularly enjoys working with non-human primates and swine. In addition, she strives to continually improve animal health and welfare through programmatic improvement, refinement of husbandry and clinical practices, protocol refinement, and keeping current on regulatory trends.

Martina N Jackson VMD, DACLAM, is a Research/Clinical Veterinarian, Co director of ACLAM Residency, Director of Summer Programming within the Division of Comparative Medicine, where she partakes in clinical responsibilities with nonhuman primates and large animals species as well as coordinates the summer veterinary student program. Dr. Jackson received her veterinary medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her laboratory animal medicine residency training at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, followed by a Nonhuman Primate Fellowship at Emory National Primate Research Center. With experience in both nonhuman primates and other traditional laboratory species, she holds a combination of interests, including but not limited to behavior and stress modulation, the refinement of laboratory animal care in research, breeding colony management, and surgical supportive care. Dr. Jackson also enjoys providing mentorship and training to various professionals and students within the veterinary field.

Andrea Slate, DVM, DACLAM, Assistant Director for Large Animal Medicine, received her veterinary degree from the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating small animal internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City and subsequently worked in private practice for several years. She completed a Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency at Columbia University in New York City.

Prior to joining MIT, Dr. Slate served as the Associate Director of Comparative Medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa and as a Senior Clinical Veterinarian at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She has experience working with rodents, rabbits, swine, small ruminants and nonhuman primates. She has worked with research teams and held administrative positions.