PRIM&R’s Abstract Spotlight

In this series of Ampersand posts, PRIM&R touches base with those who presented programmatic and research-based findings at past PRIM&R conferences.

Spotlight on an abstract from the 2009 IACUC Conference

Title: Laboratory Animal Coordinator Certification Program – A Unique Method for Standardizing Training at a Large Academic Institution

Author: Tracy Heenan, DVM, CPIA

Affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Abstract summary: The Laboratory Animal Coordinator Certification Program offers a method for uniformly training research personnel in large, decentralized institutions where thousands of individuals are involved in animal research. The program trains and certifies Laboratory Animal Coordinators (LACs); IACUC-trained and certified members of the research team who are responsible for coordinating animal activities in the laboratory; and those who are responsible for training other members of the laboratory in proper animal handling. LACs serve as the “hands-on” people in the lab who work with other lab members and the IACUC to ensure that all individuals who handle animals on a project are qualified to conduct procedures according to regulatory expectations. LACs are approved to train and certify other individuals in the lab in each of the routine procedures that will be conducted by that person.

(View the full abstract here.)

PRIM&R Staff (PS): It’s been a year since you presented this abstract at PRIM&R’s 2009 IACUC Conference. How has your program changed or evolved in the past 12 months?

Tracy Heenan, DVM, CPIA (TH): In the last year, we added proficiency scoring to our LAC Certification Training program.

During the rodent labs, the Training and Compliance Coordinators (TCCs) evaluate the proposed LAC’s proficiency in all relevant animal handling techniques before granting them approval to certify personnel. Proficiency Level I allows a LAC to begin training other personnel immediately. Proficiency Levels II and III are assigned in order to distinguish between individuals who may be close to proficiency and who may need only a small amount of practice and those who are very hesitant and require significantly more practice. This information is helpful to the investigator, who may be keenly interested in knowing how close their laboratory technician is to being proficient. It is also helpful for the TCCs to be aware of the proficiency rating when they are retraining the individual. Once the individual feels they have reached the desirable level of proficiency, they are instructed to contact the TCC to arrange observation and subsequent certification.

PS: What challenges have you faced in implementing this program?

TH: The sheer number of individuals requesting training in the program has created a waiting list for the hands-on classes. We may have to increase the frequency of our classes, especially the mouse handling class.

For questions or comments about this program, please contact Dr. Heenan.

Interested in submitting an abstract to present at PRIM&R’s next animal or human research ethics conference? Please e-mail us for more information.

Don't let your commitment to professional development freeze this winter!

By Emily Butler, content coordinator

It's cold outside, with record snowfall hitting many parts of the country. Before you hunker down for the winter, consider warming up to the benefits of professional certification through the Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA) credential.

The CPIA credential constitutes a formal recognition of an IACUC professional’s knowledge of IACUC functions, and is quickly becoming a sought-after qualification for employment.

Add your name to the list of certified professionals by applying to take the exam this April before the application deadline on Monday, March 1, 2010.

The CPIA credential...

• Demonstrates the certified IACUC professional’s high

level of dedication to the profession of IACUC administration.

• Provides potential career advancement opportunities.

• Validates the holder’s knowledge of his or her field.

• Strengthens the profession by providing an established body

of relevant knowledge and national standards of practice in

IACUC administration.

The CPIA Handbook provides sample exam questions and a list of links to

useful references.

For more information, please visit PRIM&R's website, e-mail Emily Butler, content coordinator, or call 617.423.4112, ext. 25.

PRIM&R Board member, Cornelius Baker, appointed to Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

We are pleased to announce that PRIM&R board member A. Cornelius Baker will join 23 other new members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA).

Composed of a diverse group of researchers, service providers, and community leaders from around the country, including people living with HIV, this council provides advice, information, and recommendations to President Obama on domestic and global HIV/AIDS policy issues.

PACHA also serves to further the policy goals of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), and will play an important role in providing input for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Since 2003, Mr. Baker has been a member of PRIM&R’s Board of Directors. He has served as the chair of PRIM&R’s Governance Committee since 2006.

Mr. Baker also is a national policy advisor for the National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition in Washington, D.C. He also serves as a Senior Communications Advisor at the Center on AIDS and Community Health of the Academy for Educational Development. For the past two decades, Mr. Baker has worked in the local and federal government, in local and national community-based advocacy and service delivery organizations, and on a variety of workgroups to advance the nation’s response to the HIV epidemic.

PRIM&R’s Abstract Spotlight

In this series of Ampersand posts, PRIM&R touches base with those who presented programmatic and research-based findings at past PRIM&R conferences.

Spotlight on an abstract from the 2009 IACUC Conference

Title: Post Approval Monitoring: 3 Years in Review

Authors: Carolyn Malinowski, MS, RLATG, CMAR, CPIA and Sue Kallay, BS, RLATG, CPIA

Affiliation: Northwestern University

Abstract summary: Post Approval Monitoring (PAM) Programs are a new and growing trend in the laboratory animal field. PAM is a program through which an IACUC/institution can ensure and document program integrity, compliance with regulations and guidelines, and adherence to protocols. Although they are not required by regulation, PAM Programs are recommended and looked upon favorably by Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International and all regulatory agencies. At Northwestern University, the PAM Program was developed and implemented about three years ago. During this time, the program has rapidly expanded and become its own entity. Since initiation, more than 50 PAM visits have been conducted, and detailed records have been maintained. This poster detailed the experiences at Northwestern and the most common findings during PAM visits.

(View the full abstract here.)

PRIM&R Staff (PS): What challenges have you faced in implementing this program?

Sue Kallay (SK): The greatest challenges that we have faced with our program is reaching a satisfactory number of visits. Since investigators tend to schedule procedures intermittently, especially in USDA-covered species, they may have nothing going on at the time of initial contact. The process of contacting the investigator, then following up to find a date when they have something to observe, can take many weeks.

The paperwork to keep track of this is proving to be unwieldy and takes away time to perform the main focus of our program, the visits themselves.

PS: It’s been a year since you presented this abstract at PRIM&R’s 2009 IACUC Conference. How has your program changed or evolved in the past 12 months?

SK: This burden of paperwork has driven us to overhaul the way we manage our program. While still in the planning stage, 2010 will see the program shift from a protocol-driven program to an investigator-driven one. Rather than randomly choosing protocols, we will visit an investigator and conduct an in-depth review of each of their protocols, selecting a few procedures to observe. We anticipate this will translate to the compliance liaison spending several days with the lab. Although this may be disruptive, we think the trade-off of one mildly disruptive annual visit versus several visits per year will be welcomed by the investigators.

For questions or comments about this program, please contact Ms. Kallay.

Interested in submitting an abstract to present at PRIM&R’s next animal or human research ethics conference? Please e-mail us for more information.