Member Responsibilities

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Responsibilities and Training of UCAW Members

The University Committee for Animal Welfare (UCAW) monitors all aspects of animal care and use at the UofL and advises the Institutional Official regarding program requirements and, when appropriate, recommends program changes. The principal responsibilities of the committee are to:

  • Ensure the humane and ethical treatment of laboratory animals
  • Monitor the environment provided for laboratory animals by periodic inspection of the areas in which they are housed
  • Disseminate information regarding approved methods of animal care to individuals who use animals in research and/or teaching
  • Facilitate the establishment of mechanisms to protect personnel from occupational health and safety hazards that may be associated with the use of animals
  • Review and investigate animal welfare concerns

Upon appointment, the UCAW Chair and the Assistant Vice President for Research Services/Director Comparative Medicine Research Unit (CMRU) brief committee members on their responsibilities. The briefing includes the distribution of printed information related to UCAW function and duties. This information is reviewed with each new committee member and includes:

  • Current UCAW Membership Roster
  • Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, OLAW, NIH
  • Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, NRC - Eighth Edition
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook, OPRR, NIH and ARENA
  • "Take-Home Messages" from OPRR Guidebook
  • 2020 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia, JAVMA 218: 5, 669-696
  • Current University of Louisville Animal Care and Use Program Description - Section 2, Part I, "Animal Care and Use Program."
  • Semi-Annual Self-Assessment forms
  • UCAW Policies
  • Bayne, KB, and LC Anderson. 2015. Laws, Regulations, and Policies Affecting the Use of Laboratory Animals. In: JG Fox, LC Anderson, G Otto, KR Pritchett-Corning, and MT Whary, Eds. Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd Edition. ACLAM Series. Associated Press, San Diego, pp. 23-42.

During committee tenure, the university provides funding and encourages members to attend UCAW-focused conferences. Members are also provided password access to the "Members Only" section of the National Association for Biomedical Research website and are given the opportunity to join the UCAW-FORUM listserv managed by AALAS.