Visit the Guidance section on the OLAW website for updated Commentary on Lab Animal Protocol Review columns. In the July 2018 issue, A Word from APHIS and OLAW responds to the topic: Who gets to be a PI? Download the column here: Lab Animal 2018; 47(07). (PDF)
To further explore this and other topics, browse the OLAW Topic Index. For additional information, visit OLAW.
IACUC 101 and 201 Workshops will be held August 1-2, 2018 in Portland, Maine. Register Here! 
IACUC 101: The Basics is a one-day didactic and interactive exploration of IACUC fundamentals appropriate for new and seasoned IACUC members, IACUC affiliates, and individuals responsible for their institution's animal care program. The course provides a basic yet comprehensive overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of research animals.
IACUC 201: Beyond The Basics is a highly interactive advanced program that builds on the basics and provides multiple opportunities to engage in real life applications of the basic concepts with the goals of learning new approaches and gaining new perspectives for managing issues that many animal care and use programs face. The course includes several active learning sessions as well as question and answer sessions with representatives of OLAW, USDA, and AAALAC.
Learn more at IACUC 101.
OLAW Webinar: Facility Inspections
June 28, 2018 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Does your IACUC know what to look for during a facility inspection and which facilities they need to inspect? Are they able to assess animal welfare issues and health concerns? In this webinar, Dawn O’Connor and William Greer from the University of Michigan will share their experiences on how to perform effective, efficient, and compliant facility inspections.
About OLAW Webinars
The OLAW Online Seminars program is a free webinar series to help IACUCs and IOs explore their responsibilities in the oversight of PHS-funded research that involves the use of live vertebrate animals. A one-time enrollment is required to participate in the program. Enrollees receive registration information prior to each event. Find out how to enroll at https://olaw.nih.gov/education/online-seminars.htm. For recordings of past webinars, visit the Webinars and Podcasts resource webpage.
Visit the Guidance section on the OLAW website for updated Commentary on Lab Animal Protocol Review columns. In the June 2018 issue, A Word from OLAW responds to the topic “What’s the appropriate adjustment when an approved drug is in short supply?” Download the column here: Lab Animal 2018; 47(06). (PDF)
To further explore this and other topics, browse the OLAW Topic Index. For additional information, visit OLAW.
IACUC Administrators Best Practices Meeting
July 17-18, 2018 | Fairbanks, AK
The IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) will present a Best Practices Meeting on July 17-18, 2018, in Fairbanks, Alaska. This meeting is for IACUC staff and animal program operations personnel to present and share best practices in the humane care and use of laboratory animals.
For additional information, visit IAA or email wggreer@UMich.edu.
Visit the Guidance section on the OLAW website for updated Commentary on Lab Animal Protocol Review columns. In the May 2018 issue, A Word from OLAW responds to the topic “Protocols for pets: what authority does an IACUC have?” Download the column here: Lab Animal 2018; 47(05). (PDF)
To further explore this and other topics, browse the OLAW Topic Index. For additional information, visit OLAW.
We have redesigned the OLAW website to help you find information more easily. Although we have a new look, the content of our main topic areas has not changed. The links to our Policies and Laws, Guidance, Education, and Resources are now at the top of the homepage for easy access. Also featured on the homepage are fast facts, news, and how to get connected. We hope that you find the new design helpful and that you can quickly locate what you are looking for.
While we continue to fine tune the site, let us know how we are doing. For comments or issues with page contents, email OLAW. If you experience technical problems, please contact the OER webmaster.
Symposium on Social Housing of Laboratory Animals
June 4-5, 2018 | Beltsville, MD
Register now for the 5th Annual Symposium on Social Housing of Laboratory Animals being held June 4-5, 2018, in Beltsville, MD. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn about and discuss the social housing, environmental enrichment, and behavior of laboratory animals.
This year’s symposium starts with a keynote on play behavior and positive affective states in several species, followed by talks focusing on the specific housing needs of rabbits, swine, and rodents. The afternoon will commence with input from the USDA, OLAW, and AAALAC regarding current policies and guidance, followed by a breakout session where you’ll will have the opportunity to discuss the challenges and special issues you are facing at your institution.
The second day begins with housing considerations and harm/benefit analysis and will then cover the current best practices for the social housing of old world monkeys. In the afternoon, you will learn about the psychological well-being of fish before ending with another breakout session.
Plus, you’ll want to register early to participate in a special pre-symposium activity on June 3: visit to the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
Learn more and register at http://caat.jhsph.edu/programs/workshops/social_housing.html
Visit the Guidance section on the OLAW website for updated Commentary on Lab Animal Protocol Review columns. In the April 2018 issue, A Word from OLAW provides guidance on significant changes in response to the topic “Is ‘saving money’ a valid justification?” Download the column here: Lab Animal 2018; 47(04). (PDF)
To further explore this and other topics, browse the OLAW Topic Index. For additional information, visit OLAW.
ICARE Academy (3-day)
Training for IACUC Members and Animal Program Personnel
June 18-20, 2018 | Chicago, IL
Can’t make it to Chicago? A few spaces remain for the May ICARE Academy in Newport Beach and registration just opened for the September ICARE Academy in Denver.
Who Should Attend
Participation is open to those involved in U.S. animal care and use programs, including IACUC members and staff, IOs, veterinarians, animal facilities personnel, administrators, consultants, and compliance and regulatory personnel.
What to Expect
The Interagency Collaborative Animal Research Education (ICARE) Academies use active learning techniques that are proven to increase the effectiveness of adult education by engaging the learner in hands-on activities that require the application of high-level concepts. Participants will work in both large interactive sessions and small facilitated breakout groups participating in learning activities including interactive presentations and discussions.
Learning Objectives
Program & Registration
Attendance is limited to 36, so register early. To learn more about the program and how to register, visit ICARE Project.
Read how IACUCs can help enhance research rigor and reproducibility in the March 2018 issue of JAALAS. In this article, the authors explore the contributions of the various IACUC members and discuss how each can help to enhance rigor and mitigate issues regarding irreproducibility in biomedical research involving animals.
Download the article here: JAALAS 2018; 57(02) (PDF)
IACUC 101 and 301 Workshops will be held June 13-14, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. Register Here!
IACUC 101: The Basics is a one-day didactic and interactive exploration of IACUC fundamentals appropriate for new and seasoned IACUC members, IACUC affiliates, and individuals responsible for their institution's animal care program. The course provides a basic yet comprehensive overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of research animals.
IACUC 301: Scenarios is a full day of IACUC scenarios that address a mix of straight forward to complex situations interspersed with Q&A sessions. Topics will include IACUC membership, protocol review, semiannual review, pain and distress, and more.
Learn more at IACUC 101.
The Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW) will present an IACUC Training Workshop on June 5, 2018, in Augusta, GA. SCAW’s IACUC Training Workshop educates and trains individuals who work with laboratory animals in research, testing and education. They include IACUC members and administrators, Principal Investigators, veterinarians, regulatory personnel and laboratory animal care staff. The regional workshop format lets small groups discuss specific topics that are relevant to IACUC functions. Each workshop is structured in similar design, with slight changes made to meet local needs.
For program, registration and accommodation information, visit SCAW IACUC Training Workshops.
The 5th Annual Symposium on Social Housing of Laboratory Animals will be held June 4-5, 2018, in Beltsville, MD. The goal of this symposium series is to bring together experts in the behavior and science of laboratory animal species to exchange information with scientists, IACUC members, veterinarians, and animal care technicians about the welfare needs of social laboratory animal species and the means to achieve optimal social housing conditions in a variety of settings.
The format includes 2 days of lectures in the morning followed by interactive breakout sessions in the afternoon. These lectures give participants a strong foundation in the relevant research underlying socialization and behavioral management efforts, while the breakout sessions allow participants to get feedback specific to their own facilities from experts and colleagues.
Register early to participate in a special pre-symposium activity on June 3: Visit to the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
Learn more and register at http://caat.jhsph.edu/programs/workshops/social_housing.html
The IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) will present a Best Practices Meeting on May 30-31, 2018, in San Diego, CA. This meeting is for IACUC staff and animal program operations personnel to present and share best practices in the humane care and use of laboratory animals.
For additional information, visit IAA or email wggreer@UMich.edu.
Meeting the Information Requirements of the Animal Welfare Act: A Workshop
May 9-10, 2018 | Beltsville, MD
The USDA Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) teaches a one and a half day workshop at the National Agricultural Library (NAL) in Beltsville, MD, for individuals who are responsible for providing information to meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The workshop is targeted for principal investigators, members of IACUCs, information providers, administrators of animal use programs, and veterinarians.
Course objectives are to provide:
For more information, go to http://awic.nal.usda.gov/workshops.
ICARE Academy
May 8-9, 2018 | Newport Beach, CA
Training for U.S. IACUC members and animal program personnel -- Register Now!
Learning objectives
What to expect
The ICARE Academy uses active learning techniques that are proven to increase the effectiveness of adult education by engaging the learner in hands-on activities that require the application of high-level concepts. Participants will work in both large interactive sessions and small facilitated breakout groups participating in learning activities including interactive presentations and discussions.
Who Should Attend
Participation is open to those involved in U.S. animal care and use programs, including IACUC members and staff, IOs, veterinarians, animal facilities personnel, administrators, consultants, and compliance and regulatory personnel.
Program & Registration
Attendance is limited to 36, so register early. To learn more about the program, visit ICARE Project.
The Interagency Collaborative Animal Research Education (ICARE) Project is an initiative of the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Food and Drug Administration, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, National Science Foundation, and Department of Veterans Affairs.
Visit the Guidance section on the OLAW website for updated Commentary on Lab Animal Protocol Review columns. In the March 2018 issue, A Word from OLAW responds to the topic “Post-publication problems: how to proceed when there’s no record of IACUC approval?” Download the column here: Lab Animal 2018; 47(03). (PDF)
To further explore this and other topics, browse the OLAW Topic Index. For additional information, visit OLAW.
March 29, 2018 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
Are you fully prepared before you head out to conduct your wildlife field work? Are all the students or other research staff trained and capable to perform euthanasia should an animal be injured or found moribund? Planning and training to relieve suffering of vertebrate animals should be part of every protocol submitted for IACUC review prior to conducting field work. In this webinar, Tracy Thompson, IACUC Chair and Attending Veterinarian at the National Park Service, will review methods that can be used in the field to euthanize injured or ill wildlife, in the hope it will never be needed.
About OLAW Webinars
The OLAW Online Seminars program is a free webinar series to help IACUCs and IOs explore their responsibilities in the oversight of PHS-funded research that involves the use of live vertebrate animals. A one-time enrollment is required to participate in the program. Enrollees receive registration information prior to each event. Find out more at https://olaw.nih.gov/education/online-seminars.htm. For past webinars, visit the archive on the Education Resources webpage.
NIH in collaboration with USDA and FDA is requesting your input on proposed actions to improve coordination and harmonization of regulations and policies with respect to research with laboratory animals as required by the 21st Century Cures Act, Section 2034(d): Animal Care and Use in Research. The request is a coordinated effort of the Director of NIH in collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to reduce administrative burden on investigators while maintaining the integrity and credibility of research findings and protection of research animals.
To learn more about the information requested, see NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-18-152 and Federal Register Notice 2018-05173.
To ensure consideration, responses must be submitted by June 12, 2018 at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/rfi/rfi.cfm?ID=71
ICARE Academy & Advanced Train the Trainer Institute
May 7-9, 2018 | Newport Beach, CA
ICARE Academies (AI) use active learning and backward design to train IACUC members, staff, and institutional animal program personnel to meet their responsibilities for animal welfare oversight. ICARE Academies empower the learner to assume accountability for facts and conceptual understanding of Federal standards through the study of realistic problems encountered in animal care and use programs.
Advanced Train the Trainer Institutes (ATTI) offer advanced training in the use of active learning, backward design, and scientific teaching applied to IACUC training. The ATTI is offered to individuals that have completed basic training at a Train the Trainer Institute.
Who Should Attend
Participation is open to those involved in U.S. animal care and use programs, including IACUC members and staff, IOs, veterinarians, animal facilities personnel, administrators, consultants, and compliance and regulatory personnel.
Program & Registration
Attendance is limited to 36, so register early. To learn more about the programs and how to register, visit ICARE Project. See also the 2018 ICARE Project Flyer.
The Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) 2018 IACUC Conference will be held March 20-21, with pre-conference programs on March 19, in Columbus, OH. Learn more.
This two-day conference covers topics relevant to all those involved in the fields of animal care and use and research ethics. Through keynote addresses, engaging and stimulating panels, and highly practical breakout sessions, attendees will gain important insights and fresh strategies to help with their day-to-day work within their animal care and use programs. Attendees will also increase their knowledge and understanding of ethical requirements, learn best practices in the field, and sharpen their skills for dealing with both late-breaking and longstanding challenges around the conduct of ethical animal research.
For program, registration, and accommodation information, visit http://www.primr.org/iacuc18/ 
Three I’s & Biosecurity Conference
March 14-16, 2018 | Chapel Hill, NC
The Three I’s & Biosecurity Conference: Promoting the Responsible Conduct of Research, Partnership, Ethics, Best Practices and the Exploration of Current Trends. The conference will address the complex challenges that touch the IACUC, IBC and IRB communities — issues relating to research integrity, ethics, communications and social media, importing/exporting and much, much more. It’s essential for the collaboration that drives the research community forward, enabling attendees to work smarter, not harder.
For more information, visit Three I’s & Biosecurity.
Meeting the Information Requirements of the Animal Welfare Act: A Workshop
March 13-14, 2018 | Beltsville, MD
The USDA Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) teaches a one and a half day workshop at the National Agricultural Library (NAL) in Beltsville, MD, for individuals who are responsible for providing information to meet the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The workshop is targeted for principal investigators, members of IACUCs, information providers, administrators of animal use programs, and veterinarians.
Course objectives are to provide:
For more information, go to http://awic.nal.usda.gov/workshops.
Environmental Enrichment in the 21st Century
ILAR Journal, 2017, Vol. 58(2), pp. 295-307 
In this ILAR Journal review article, the authors discuss the objectives of the environmental enrichment plan for nonhuman primates along with relevant outcome measures, as well as ongoing challenges, costs, and benefits. They review various enrichment strategies and assess their efficacy in meeting goals and objectives. Finally, they look forward to consider what the future might hold for environmental enrichment of nonhuman primates used in research.
Visit the Guidance section on the OLAW website for updated Commentary on Lab Animal Protocol Review columns. In the February 2018 issue, A Word from OLAW responds to the topic “How should the IACUC handle unanticipated deaths?” Download the column here: Lab Animal 2018; 47(02). (PDF)
To further explore this and other topics, browse the OLAW Topic Index. For additional information, visit OLAW.
NIH and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have participated under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Concerning Laboratory Animal Welfare for more than a decade. The agencies share a common interest in the care and welfare of laboratory animals used in research and testing. This agreement provides for coordination and harmonization of agency efforts to ensure appropriate laboratory animal care and welfare. The new MOU is available at NIH-VA MOU.
The IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) will present a Best Practices Meeting on February 27-28, 2018, in San Antonio, TX. This meeting is for IACUC staff and animal program operations personnel to present and share best practices in the humane care and use of laboratory animals.
For additional information, visit IAA or register here .
ICARE Train the Trainer Institute
February 20-23, 2018 | Atlanta, GA
It’s not too late - Register Today!
What to Expect
The Interagency Collaborative Animal Research Education (ICARE) Train the Trainer Institutes (TTI) teach national and institutional trainers to use active learning and backward design in their IACUC training programs. Participants will engage in active learning applied to IACUC subject matter and modules that address the scientific basis of active learning pedagogy. Working in facilitated breakout groups, participants will develop a module that can be used at their home institution.
Learn About
Who Should Attend
Participation is open to those involved in U.S. animal care and use programs, including IACUC members and staff, IOs, veterinarians, animal facilities personnel, administrators, consultants, and compliance and regulatory personnel.
Program & Registration
To learn more about the program and how to register, visit ICARE Project. See also the 2018 ICARE Project Flyer.
The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR) will present the 2018 IACUC Regional Educational Conference on February 27, 2018, in Lynnwood, WA. This one-day conference for IACUC members, veterinarians, animal care staff and researchers covers hot topics related to animal care and use, led by facilitators from around the U.S. In addition to the various presentations, there will be a mock IACUC session that will allow conference participants to test their knowledge of the rules and regulations against a panel of experts and regulatory and compliance officials.
Learn more at the NWABR IACUC Conference.
Visit the Guidance section on the OLAW website for updated Commentary on Lab Animal Protocol Review columns. In the January 2018 issue, A Word from OLAW responds to the topic “How should the IACUC handle a questionable VVC change to a protocol?” Download the column here: Lab Animal 2018; 47(01). (PDF)
To further explore this and other topics, browse the OLAW Topic Index. For additional information, visit OLAW.
Interagency Collaborative Animal Research Education (ICARE)
Train the Trainer Institute (TTI)
February 20-23, 2018 | Atlanta, GA
Are you an IACUC trainer or administrator? Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to enhance the effectiveness of your IACUC training program. Register now for the ICARE TTI on February 20-23 in Atlanta, GA. Here at the Peachtree City Hotel & Conference Center, you will be coached and mentored by federal, academic and private sector faculty who are experts in the field. You will work in both large interactive sessions and facilitated breakout groups engaging in active learning techniques to develop teaching modules that you can use for training IACUCs at your institution. See some of the modules that other TTI attendees have developed here: ICARE Training Modules.
Register early, attendance is limited to 36. We encourage registration of 2 or more attendees from an institution as that will facilitate implementation of active learning at the institution.
To learn more about the ICARE TTI, visit ICARE Project.
The Interagency Collaborative Animal Research Education (ICARE) Train the Trainer Institutes are supported by the ICARE Project, an interagency initiative of the National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (NIH OLAW), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
5th International Conference of the Basel Declaration Society
Openness and Transparency: Building Trust in Animal Research
February 14-15, 2018 | San Francisco, CA
This conference is an international effort to provide the US research community with:
Please note that participation at this 2-day conference is free. To register please use the registration tool on the Basel Declaration Society website.
