Member Responsibilities

Responsibilities and Training of IACUC Members

The IACUC 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 IACUC Chair and the Assistant Vice President for Research Services/Director CMRU brief Committee members on their responsibilities. The briefing includes the distribution of printed information related to IACUC function and duties. This information is reviewed with each new Committee member and includes:

  • Current IACUC 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
  • IACUC Policy and Procedures Manual
  • 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 IACUC-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 IACUC-FORUM listserv managed by AALAS.