Caring for the Non-Human Members of our Campus Community
UC Davis is one of the largest and most prestigious biomedical research facilities in the United States. With a College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, the California National Primate Research Center, a mouse biology program and a large number of academic departments, UC Davis has a very strong and diverse team of research scientists.
Research with animals benefits animals, people and the environment. Some diseases are unique to one species and cannot be studied otherwise. Thorough training of veterinary students benefits their future animal patients. Animals provide valuable models for studies ranging from the impact of environmental pollution to cancer to treatment of heart disease, and many other physical ailments for which there are currently few treatments or cures.
The UC Davis Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is responsible for the oversight of teaching and research activities on campus that involve the use of animals. This faculty-based committee includes the Attending Veterinarian, practicing scientists and clinicians experienced in research involving animals, members whose primary concerns are in a nonscientific area, and individuals from the local community who are not affiliated with the University. The IACUC is responsible for reviewing protocols involving animals, regular inspections of animal housing areas, investigating concerns, and a number of other tasks to ensure that the animals on campus are well cared for.
In addition to the IACUC’s oversight, a number of government agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and the California Department of Fish and Game to name a few, monitor the University’s animal care program. “The regulations are strict but they are designed not only to ensure proper animal care but to ensure quality research,” says Alan Ekstrand, UC Davis’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Administrator.
To ensure that all regulations are scrupulously followed, University policy requires that all facilities in which animals are housed, and programs associated with those facilities, must be accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC). AAALAC has accredited UC Davis since 1966 and visits the campus every three years to review the program.
“We recognize that much of the teaching and research at UC Davis could not be accomplished without animals and we are proud of our record of superior performance when it comes to their care,” says Jill Blackwelder Parker, Associate Vice Chancellor, Safety Services. “As an AAALAC-accredited institution, we have certain responsibilities and we take those very seriously. But more than that, we take the well-being of the animals personally. As individuals and as a team with our investigators and their staff, we are committed to providing the animals the best care possible.” For more information about the IACUC, visit ehs.ucdavis.edu.