There are so many facets to being an IACUC coordinator that sometimes more experienced coordinators may forget we even do. The IACUC20 session "IACUC Administration for New IACUC Administrators/Coordinators" not only covered all the basics of what an IACUC administrator/coordinator may do, but both presenters took the time to explain how they fulfill these duties at their own institutions. This session helped give me a greater appreciation of everything that I do in my role. Read more
On September 17, 2020, PRIM&R hosted a webinar, IACUC Operations: Pandemic & Beyond. During this webinar, Dr. Stacy Pritt and Kathryn Cavanaugh, CPIA, shared various methods for conducting IACUC business electronically and virtually and explored employee engagement strategies for keeping IACUC staff connected during a remote work setting. Following the webinar, Stacy and Kathryn reflected on the session and attendee feedback; we're pleased to share their response with the readers of Ampersand. Read more
For the first time, Certified IRB Professional (CIP®) and Certified Professional in IACUC Administration (CPIA®) exam candidates have the option to take their exams on personal computers through live remote online proctoring. If you’re preparing to take your exams this fall and/or are curious about how live remote online proctoring works, check out our tips to familiarize yourself with the process. Read more
On June 20, PRIM&R hosted a webinar, Advanced Noncompliance Scenarios for IACUCs: Laboratory Animals and Wildlife, which presented interactive scenarios to assist IACUCs in navigating the challenges associated with identifying, investigating, reporting, and correcting noncompliance at their institution. In this blog post, Stacy Pritt, DVM, MS, MBA, CPIA, CHRC, DACAW, assistant vice president for conflict of interest and the IACUC at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, offers input on a protocol review process called veterinary verification and consultation (VVC), and explores a scenario from the webinar in which this method may be employed by the IACUC to prevent noncompliance as well as to reduce regulatory burden. Read more
Every day and with every interaction, animals learn how to respond to the people in their research environment. Positive reinforcement training (PRT) techniques can improve animals’ level of compliance with research tasks, as well as their physiological response to their environment. It’s critical that IACUC members have a working knowledge of classical and operant conditioning in order to critically assess whether research proposals include appropriate PRT. On April 17, PRIM&R hosted a webinar to instruct IACUC professionals and members about PRT. Kelly Morrisroe, a research scientist and primate trainer at the Washington National Primate Research Center (WaNPRC) at the University of Washington, served as the speaker. After the webinar, the presenter responded to some of the attendee questions that time didn’t permit us to address live. We’re pleased to share those responses with the readers of Ampersand. Read more
