Superstar Rats Teach Empathy to Researchers

Audience: The program is tailored to IACUC staff, IACUC members, IOs, veterinarians, investigators, compliance personnel, animal care staff and others involved in animal programs.

Speaker: Catherine Schuppli, MSc, PhD, DVM, University of British Columbia 

Topic: In the webinar, Dr. Cathy Schuppli talks about a novel approach for promoting compassion among animal researchers. After showcasing her superstar rats that were trained to participate in complex tasks, researchers were amazed by the rats' intelligence, personalities, and relationship with their handlers. All believed that this experience fostered empathetic views and provided ways of reducing stress in rats.