Research Enterprise Newsletter - June 2008: Animal Care & Use News
Occupational Health Compliance to be Verified
To ensure that all personnel working with research animals are compliant with Occupational Health requirements, the Office of Animal Welfare Assurance (OAWA) will begin verifying compliance as new protocols and "Requests to Add Personnel" are submitted. An email will be sent to those principal investigators whose staff have not completed all required screening or who have not yet been enrolled in the appropriate Occupational Health program for the species used in the protocol.
In anticipation of the fall launch of eSirius, all principal investigators should begin the process of fully complying with the Occupational Health Policy to avoid any delays in protocol approvals. Begin by having each staff member complete and return to Occupational Health an Allergy/Animal Exposure Questionnaire.
Contact Occupational Health at occupational.health.clinic@vanderbilt.edu or visit the Occupational Health Clinic website for assistance in this matter.
Semi-Annual Facility Inspection Training Available
The Office of Research Integrity is offering an online training module on conducting animal facility inspections. In preparation for the July Semi-Annual Inspection, which will take place from July 7 to 18, IACUC members and research personnel are encouraged to view the training course from ori.dhhs.gov.
The course addresses the regulatory requirements for animal facilities, including housing, surgery, cleaning and storage areas. Each area is presented in a 360-degree virtual tour, containing some commonly inspected items. The training module provides tips for inspecting items, links to relevant regulatory documentation, and the opportunity to test user understanding with a brief quiz following each virtual tour.
New Animal Procurement Policy Approved
The IACUC Committee at its May 28, 2008 meeting approved a new Policy on Procurement of Animals, requiring that all animals used in teaching and research at Vanderbilt University be procured through the Division of Animal Care (DAC).
Procurement of sperm, stem cells and embryos destined for the generation of live animals must be coordinated through the DAC and done by an approved vendor (e.g., JAX, Charles River) or the Vanderbilt Transgenic Mouse/Embryonic Stem Cell Resource.
Zebrafish embryos and adults must be quarantined in accordance with Zebrafish Advisory Committee standard operating procedures. The new policy can be found on the IACUC web site.
