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International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71793-9
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Effective Communication with the General Public About Scientific Research That Requires the Care and Use of Animals: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27737.

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PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH THAT REQUIRES THE CARE AND USE OF ANIMALS: A WORKSHOP

ALICE H. HUANG (Chair), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (retired)

MARGARET S. LANDI (Vice Chair), GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (retired)

PAULA A. CLIFFORD, Americans for Medical Progress

CANDACE C. CRONEY, Purdue University

ALISSA M. HATFIELD, American Physiological Society

JEFFREY HENEGAR, University of Missouri

CRYSTAL H. JOHNSON, Georgetown University

JOSEPH T. NEWSOME, University of Pittsburgh

YUKO SATO, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine

SALLY THOMPSON-IRITANI, University of Washington

Staff

KAVITA BERGER, Co-director, Board on Animal Health Sciences, Conservation, and Research

ROBIN SCHOEN, Co-director, Board on Animal Health Sciences, Conservation, and Research

NIA D. JOHNSON, Director, Roundtable on Science and Welfare of Animals Involved in Research

JESSSICA DE MOUY, Research Associate

LAYLA GARYK, Senior Program Assistant

MARIAH WAUL, Program Assistant

JEANNE AQUILINO, Financial Business Partner

Reviewers

This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

JOSHUA NIXON, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Minneapolis

YUKO SATO, Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine

BRIANNA SKINNER, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by CAROLINE ZEISS, Yale School of Medicine. She was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.

Contents

OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT

Workshop Introduction

Public Opinion Regarding Animals Involved in Research: Findings of 2023 Survey

NAVIGATING INTERACTIONS WITH THE MEDIA, SCIENCE WRITERS, NONSCIENTISTS, AND INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP

Concerns of the News Media

Concerns of Science Writers

Concerns of Nonscientists

Concerns of Institutional Leadership

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN COMMUNICATING ABOUT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES INVOLVING ANIMALS

Effectively Addressing Inadequately Communicated Topics

Communicating About Ethics

Communicating About NAMs

Communicating on Social Media

OPENNESS IN COMMUNICATION: PRINCIPLES, EXPERIENCES, AND CONSIDERATIONS

U.S. Animal Research Openness Initiative and Sharing Our Stories

Panel Discussion on Considerations Along the Spectrum of Openness

CLOSING DISCUSSION

Improving Communication with the Public

Attending to Ethics

Increasing Openness Across the Research Spectrum

Workshop Conclusion

REFERENCES

APPENDIXES

A STATEMENT OF TASK

B WORKSHOP AGENDA