The Board on Animal Health Sciences, Conservation, and Research (BAHSCR) is the unit of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that is focused on supporting responsible and scientifically rigorous approaches to research that involve animals and advances in alternative approaches to animal research. This includes research occurring in laboratories, clinical settings, zoological institutions and aquaria, and wild and semi-wild environments. The Board serves as a platform for exploring a diversity of scientific questions for which research involving animals provides unique insights to the health of animals, humans, and the environment. Convening activities and consensus studies organized under the auspices of the Board examine innovative methods and approaches to scientific studies involving animals, develop guidance to ensure the appropriate care and use of animals in research, and foster greater public understanding of the issues that science, conservation, and research associated with animals seek to address.
The work of BAHSCR is collaborative. The Board partners with other National Academies Divisions and Boards, external experts, and intergovernmental organizations to share knowledge and explore research topics involving animals.