CAAT Newsletter: Vol. 13, No. 2, Winter 1996

IACUCS And Me: A Community Vet's Story

By John Fioramonti, D.V.M.

Last year, it happened. One of my clients asked me to help out at the Johns Hopkins University. The School of Hygiene and Public Health needed an unaffiliated community member to sit in on the meetings of the school's institutional animal care and use committee, to provide input on how the researchers were handling the animals in their care.

Was I really qualified to serve on such a committee? Should I be looking over the shoulders of researchers who are the top in their field, making suggestions? Will they listen to anything that I say? These were some of the questions I considered before agreeing to join the committee.

Meetings were held one afternoon each month. A week prior to the meeting, I would receive a packet containing minutes of the previous meeting and copies of all the applications or protocols of research grants that the committee would be reviewing. I would sit down one evening before the meeting and read all the applications. This process is time-consuming and in the beginning at least, a little confusing. However, after reading through four or five sets of protocols, you begin to acquire an understanding of what the researchers are trying to do and what is necessary for them to do it. You need to develop an understanding of what the individual researcher is trying to accomplish, how many animals are needed to achieve it, and what drug dosages are necessary.

While serving as a member of the committee, I tried to insure that the number of animals used was not excessive and that the animals were protected from pain as much as possible. As a veterinarian, I knew what drugs were available for anaesthesia and analgesia, and what the correct dosages were. There were two other veterinarians on the committee as well, so that any time a member of the committee had a question about procedures, there was a vet available to answer the questions.

In addition to reviewing all the protocols for the meeting, each member of the committee is assigned a protocol to present to the full committee. The presenter is responsible for reviewing the protocol carefully and insuring that it is filled out correctly and that the researcher is clear about what he or she is requesting. The committee member presents this information at the IACUC meeting and gives an opinion as to whether the protocol should be approved or denied.

The committee then discusses the protocol and after everyone has had the opportunity to comment and question, a vote is taken. If the protocol is passed, the researcher can proceed with his or her work. If the protocol is rejected, the committee member who presented the protocol is responsible for discussing and correcting problems with the researcher who submitted it.

I enjoyed the time I spent on the committee. The time demands were not overwhelming, and I believe that the IACUCs work is important. Was I qualified to be a member of the committee? Yes, I believe that I was, and I think that most members of the community willing to make an effort to understand the work would be qualified too. Was I able to make useful suggestions to the researchers? Yes, and I feel that most of them took our comments seriously and that the committee had an effect on the protocols. I would recommend that those with an interest in this area, considering becoming members of an IACUC, should take the initiative and join in.

Dr. Fioramonti is a veterinarian in private practice.