While all IACUCs should be conducting some form of post-approval monitoring given current IACUC requirements, there is no mandate for a formal post-approval monitoring program that operates separate from other IACUC activities that are already mandated. With the change in annual review requirements, IACUCs are now able to critically examine their post-approval monitoring goals and potentially separate them from the goals of annual reviews. Read more
Postapproval monitoring (PAM) ensures that research is being carried out in the manner that was originally approved by the IACUC and many institutions employ PAM as a self-auditing mechanism to check on compliance. A well-run PAM program can also lead to improved animal welfare, science, and collaboration among departments in the animal care and use program. Having a robust framework for conducting PAM promotes education, transparency, and communication between researchers and the institution. Read more
Post-approval monitoring (PAM) has traditionally been, and in many ways still is, seen as a program to monitor protocols after approval. At PRIM&R's 2018 IACUC Conference (IACUC18), I attended a fascinating session titled “Quality Assurance Beyond Post-Approval Monitoring”. The session explored the idea that post-approval monitoring, or PAM, should be looked at as monitoring of the animal care and use program not just monitoring of the animal protocols. I have always been interested in quality assurance and quality management and the ideas in this session were very exciting! The notion that a formal PAM program could improve compliance across the animal care and use program in multiple facets is truly energizing. Read more
By Kathy Banks, BSc, MSc, continuing review coordinator, animal ethics, University of British Columbia
It's been just over a month since I walked my legs off on Boston's Freedom Trail, visited the many historic monuments and gravesites throughout the city, and, most importantly, attended my first PRIM&R IACUC Conference. What an experience! As I explained in my first and subsequent Blog Squad posts, I attended several interesting and relevant conference sessions, and armed with that knowledge, came back to the [...] Read more
By Kathy Banks, BSc, MSc, continuing review coordinator, animal ethics, University of British Columbia
PRIM&R is pleased to share a post from Kathy Banks, a member of the PRIM&R Blog Squad for the 2015 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Conference. The PRIM&R Blog Squad is composed of PRIM&R members who blog here, on Ampersand, to give our readers an inside peek of what happened during the conference in Boston, MA.
As the PAM Coordinator at the University of British Columbia (UBC), [...] Read more
