I’m writing to share the bittersweet news that Dr. Philip J. Richter is retiring from UC San Diego after nearly 30 years of outstanding service to our thriving research community. Nearly all of his tenure has been as Director of the UC San Diego Animal Care Program, while concurrently holding the position of Attending Veterinarian for the Lab Animal Medicine residency program.
Prior to working at UC San Diego, Phil was a large animal vet and that will be his next grand adventure when he relocates to the Northwest to continue his work in private practice and as a consultant in that field.
Since the 1990s, Phil and his team have played a critical role in the development of numerous state-of-the-art UC San Diego research facilities. Phil’s efforts have been critical to the continued success, acclaim, and viability of medical advancements which help to make UC San Diego a top-10 research university. During his career here, funding for research benefiting from his department’s expertise has grown from $10 million in 1994 (the year he started as a senior veterinarian) to more than $318 million in 2021. His contributions to the teams engaged in scientific discovery on campus and within the international community we serve have been immeasurable.
During his tenure, Phil has consistently gone above and beyond to design facilities, protocols and processes that have created better working conditions and efficiencies at every level of the operation. One of the newest facilities expanded and improved previously cramped, dark quarters by consolidating routine equipment cleaning in a way never before conceptualized.
Phil sought and received an $8 million National Institutes of Health grant to construct the first-of-its-kind equipment washing facility based on his deep knowledge of operational needs and his research into industrial design. The result is a model of innovation in sanitation that has the potential to inform, improve and enrich research operations throughout the world. The consolidation has increased efficiency, saved resources (including more than $23 million in utilities and facility costs since 2015), and created a better work environment for laboratory sanitation workers who are crucial to supporting discoveries but often underappreciated.
He has guided the department through extraordinary growth. His division now includes 178 staff positions, more than five times larger than when he first joined the Animal Care Program in 1994. The number of facilities his team oversees has grown from six to 49; managing each new facility is increasingly more complex due to the ambitious demands of the university’s world-class research community.
Phil’s expertise has been sought out by private and federal affiliates looking to replicate his successes within their own research operations. That knowledge sharing has enriched the work of international researchers exploring an array of solutions to address critical medical and technological needs.
However, Phil’s greatest accomplishments have come from his ability to inspire others. He prides himself on leading through collaboration, inspiring camaraderie, supporting practical experimentation, and instigating the participation of all. Known for his boundless energy, humor, and inability to stand still, Phil is often cited as the reason long-standing staff are loyal to our program and dedicated to continuous improvement.
Phil has also streamlined preparations for the frequent and rigorous federal inspections required of large research organizations. His leadership and staffing protocols, amidst huge expansion in research and shortages in trained staff, have been instrumental in sustaining the university’s top-tier accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International.
It is fitting and telling that it will take two people to replace Phil. Keith Jenne will assume the role of Interim Director of the Animal Care Program and Dr. Katherine Makowski, Interim Attending Veterinarian, Director of the Lab Animal Medicine residency program. The changes will take place July 1 and the search to fill the permanent positions will begin by late July.
Please join me in extending our most sincere appreciation to Phil for more than 28 years of lasting contributions and superb service to UC San Diego.
