Experience

• 1960-1962 Medical Intern, Department of Medicine and Obstetrics, New York State Veterinary College, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
• 1962-1966 Graduate Assistant, Department of Pathology, New York State Veterinary College, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
• 1966-1971 Associate Professor, Department of Animal Diseases, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
• 1971- Professor, Department of Pathobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
• 1980-1997 Adjunct Professor, Veterinary Pathology, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
• 1992- Director, Northeastern Research Center for Wildlife Diseases, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
• 2000-2001 Associate Professor, Faculté de Medicine, Université de Lille, Lille, France
• 2001-2009 Department Head, Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut; Director, Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

Honors and Distinctions

Ann Beese Prize for Best Work in Medicine and Clinical Diagnosis, New York State Veterinary College, 1960; Phi Zeta (Honorary Society), 1966; American College of Veterinary Pathologists, Diplomate, 1968; National Commission on Digestive Diseases, 1977-78; National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis, Career Development Award, 1984; Walter R. Thayer, Jr. Award (for IBD research), Rhode Island Chapter NFIC, 1991; The New York Farmers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Agriculture, 1996.

Courses Taught

• PVS 5394. Veterinary Pathology Seminar A discussion of current problems in veterinary pathology with emphasis on histopathology and the related disciplines.

Research Interests

Dr. Van Kruiningen has three major research interests, gastrointestinal pathology, Crohn’s disease and the pathology and pathogenesis of infectious diseases. His interests in understanding disease processes of the gastrointestinal tract date back to the early 60’s when he studied an acute colitis of horses, then called “colitis X”, and a chronic colitis of Boxer dogs, the latter his thesis research. After coming to the University of Connecticut in 1966 his interests extended to the problem diarrheas of other breeds of dogs and of other species. Works with cattle included a study of Johne’s disease, a chronic mycobacterial enteritis, and winter dysentery, an acute highly infectious colitis, shown during transmission studies here to be caused by a coronavirus. Trying to define an animal model of Crohn’s disease or to understand the pathogenesis of that disorder drew him into the field of inflammatory bowel disease of man. Current studies in this field include an epidemiologic study of familial Crohn’s disease in Belgium and molecular attempts to define an etiologic agent.

Recently Dr. Van Kruiningen initiated research into the cause and pathogenesis of autism. Initial plans are to review pathology of this disorder, the usefulness or lack there of, of virus-induced animal models, and mercury-induced lesions in spontaneous or induced animal models with autism. Functional MRI and histopathology will be employed as well as review of epidemiologic circumstances.