Education and Training in the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: A Guide for Developing Institutional Programs (1991)
Chapter: Front Matter
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
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The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering in the conduct of their services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
This project was supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) through grants DAMD17-88-2-8016 and DAMD17-87-G-7021. The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this report are those of the committee and should not be construed as an official Department of Army position, policy, or decision unless so designated by other documentation.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Education and training in the care and use of laboratory animals : a guide for developing institutional programs / Committee on Educational Programs in Laboratory Animal Science, Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Laboratory animals. 2. Animal welfare. I. Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (U.S.). Committee on Educational Programs in Laboratory Animal Science.
SF406.E38 1990
636.088'5—dc20 90-49571
CIP
ISBN 0-309-04382-4
Copyright © 1991 by the National Academy of Sciences
Permission for limited reproduction of portions of this book for educational purposes, but not for sale, may be granted on receipt of a written request to the National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20418.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, January 1991
Second Printing, December 1992
Third Printing, October 1998
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN LABORATORY ANIMAL SCIENCE
Gale D. Taylor (Chairman),
Program in Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana
Lynn C. Anderson,
Laboratory Animal Resources, Merck Sharp Dohme Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey
David A. Blake,
The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Lynn Dahm,
Health Sciences Center for Educational Resources, University of Washington, Seattle
Thomas E. Darby,
Lab Products, Inc., Maywood, New Jersey
John E. Harkness,
Mississippi State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State
James F. Harwell,
National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
Staff
Dorothy D. Greenhouse, Senior Program Officer
The Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (ILAR) was founded in 1952 under the auspices of the National Research Council. Its mission is to provide expert counsel to the federal government, the biomedical research community, and the public on the scientific, technological, and ethical use of laboratory animals within the context of the interests and mission of the National Academy of Sciences. ILAR promotes the high-quality, humane care of laboratory animals; the appropriate use of laboratory animals; and the exploration of alternatives in research, testing, and teaching.
INSTITUTE OF LABORATORY ANIMAL RESOURCES COUNCIL
Steven P. Pakes (Chairman),
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
June R. Aprille,
Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
Melvin W. Balk,
Charles River Laboratories, Inc., Wilmington, Massachusetts
Douglas M. Bowden,
University of Washington, Seattle
Lester M. Crawford,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.
Thomas J. Gill III,
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jon W. Gordon,
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York
Alan M. Goldberg,
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Margaret Z. Jones,
Michigan State University, East Lansing
Michael D. Kastello,
Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey
Robert H. Purcell,
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland
J. Wesley Robb,
School of Medicine University of Southern California, Los Angeles
John L. VandeBerg,
Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas
Staff:
Thomas L. Wolfle, Director
COMMISSION ON LIFE SCIENCES
Bruce M. Alberts (Chairman),
University of California, San Francisco
Bruce N. Ames,
University of California, Berkeley
Francisco J. Ayala,
University of California, Irvine
J. Michael Bishop,
University of California Medical Center, San Francisco
Michael T. Clegg,
University of California, Riverside
Glenn A. Crosby,
Washington State University, Pullman
Freeman J. Dyson,
The Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey
Leroy E. Hood,
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Donald F. Hornig,
Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
Marian E. Koshland,
University of California, Berkeley
Richard E. Lenski,
University of California, Irvine
Steven P. Pakes,
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
Emil A. Pfitzer,
Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc., Nutley, New Jersey
Thomas D. Pollard,
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Joseph E. Rall,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
Richard D. Remington,
University of Iowa, Iowa City
Paul G. Risser,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Harold M. Schmeck, Jr.,
Armonk, New York
Richard B. Setlow,
Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
Carla J. Shatz,
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Torsten N. Wiesel,
Rockefeller University, New York, New York
Staff:
John E. Burris, Executive Director
Preface
The Committee on Educational Programs in Laboratory Animal Science was appointed in 1988 to "prepare an annotated syllabus [guide] for a course in humane practices of animal care and use to assist institutions in complying with recently enacted federal laws, which mandate that educational programs be provided for personnel who use animals in research, testing, and teaching." The committee met four times between November 1988 and June 1990. During the first meeting, several decisions were made that determined the scope and content of this report. First, to assist the scientific community in meeting its demonstrated commitment to humanely care for and use research animals, it was determined that the report would include more information and in much more depth than is necessary to meet minimal requirements of existing regulations. Second, it was resolved that the intended audience should be anyone who can directly or indirectly influence the well-being of animals. These people include investigators, research technicians, teachers, teaching assistants, people in physical plant maintenance, and administrators and animal care staff, all of whom need an understanding of their responsibilities to make an institution's animal care and use program successful. It was also decided that the report would address primarily the principal species used in biomedical research, with limited inclusion of less commonly used species. The care and use of animals in agricultural research were considered beyond the scope of the committee's charge. The consensus was that the committee would develop a core syllabus appropriate for every institution where animal research is performed. In addition, a number of individual packages would be developed that would allow each institution to adapt this guide to its own unique needs. It was recognized that many of the research facilities that will use this guide are not academic institutions and that some basic guidance on development, presentation, and evaluation of an education and training program should be included.
The committee recognizes that this report reflects only an initial effort to fulfill both the scientific community's need for information and the mandated requirements for education and training in the care and use of laboratory animals. The dynamics of biomedical research and legislation, critical comments by those who use the guide, and the ongoing development of audiovisual programs will almost certainly require that the report be extensively revised within a few years. The committee hopes that this guide serves as the first building stone in the development of institutional education and training programs that assist scientists in the conduct of biomedical research, as well as meeting the spirit and intent of federal legislation.
The committee extends its appreciation to Kevin P. Engler and Jean A. Larson of the National Agricultural Library's Animal Welfare Information Center, who prepared the appendix on how to use the center, and to the staff of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, especially Dorothy D. Greenhouse, whose support has made this document possible.
Gale D. Taylor, Chairman
Committee on Educational Programs in Laboratory Animal Science
