Organization
- Line of Authority
- Department of Comparative Medicine
- Veterinary Service Center
- Attending Veterinarian
- Administrative Panel on Laboratory Animal Care (A-PLAC)
Line of Authority
At Stanford, institutional responsibility for compliance with animal welfare regulations and policies lies with the Vice Provost and Dean of Research and Graduate Policy. The line of authority passes through the Administrative Panel on Laboratory Animal Care (APLAC) and the Chair, Department of Comparative Medicine.
Department of Comparative Medicine
The Department of Comparative Medicine, a clinical science department of the School of Medicine, is delegated the oversight of all animal use at Stanford University. Faculty of the Department are responsible for teaching, research, and service.
Veterinary Service Center (VSC)
The VSC is responsible for the service aspects of the Department which assures that all use of animals is humane and complies with all relevant policies and legal requirements. The functions of the VSC include:
- procurement of animals for research and teaching
- provision of veterinary care
- provision of animal husbandry services
- oversight of animal holding facilities
- provision of special services that facilitate animal research
Attending Veterinarian
Federal law requires that institutions that use animals in research and teaching have an Attending Veterinarian associated with their animal care and use program if the program is federally funded. The Attending Veterinarian:
- must have the appropriate educational and training qualifications
- has direct or delegated authority for activities involving animals
- must be a member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
- is responsible for providing adequate veterinary care to the animals. The research facility shall assure that the Attending Veterinarian has adequate authority to ensure the provisions of adequate veterinary care and to oversee the adequacy of other aspects of animal care and use.
Administrative Panel on Laboratory Animal Care (A-PLAC)
Both the Animal Welfare Act (and its amendments) and the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, otherwise known as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Policy, require an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to oversee the animal care and use program. This committee must be composed of at least five members and include:
- an individual unaffiliated with the institution
- a veterinarian with program responsibilities
- a practicing scientist experienced in research involving animals
- a member whose concerns are in a non-scientific area
The Administrative Panel on Laboratory Animal Care (APLAC) is the IACUC at Stanford University. Its functions are clearly defined by NIH, University policy, and by the 1985 amendments to the Animal Welfare Act. These functions include:
- semiannual review of the institution's program for the humane care and use of animals.
- semiannual inspection of all institutional animal facilities.
- review of all proposed uses of vertebrates for research and teaching.
- review and development of institutional policy on care and use of laboratory animals.
- review of specific concerns or complaints about animal care or use.
- making recommendations to the responsible administrator regarding all aspects of the campus animal care and use program.
- authority to suspend any activity involving the use of animals which is not being conducted in accordance with the ILAR Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the Guide) standards, or with applicable laws, regulations or institutional policies.
In all of these functions the Guide provides the primary standard for evaluating the campus animal care and use program.
A copy of the Charge to the APLAC, and specific guidelines developed by the A-PLAC and VSC, are available on the APLAC website or by contacting the A-PLAC office at 723-4550.
See also Animal Protocol Preparation and Review.
