Confident of its policies and practices, Penn State has decided to seek the highest possible level of accreditation for its animal care and use programs at University Park. The programs at the College of Medicine in Hershey already have won approval from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) and now animal care and use committee members expect University Park programs to do so as well.
"We believe that we meet the criteria and have always managed our animal care and use practices at the highest standard," said Terry D. Etherton, head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science and chairman of Penn State's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
AAALAC accreditation is voluntary and non-regulatory. However, more than 600 organizations, companies and universities in 11 different countries have sought and won AAALAC accreditation to demonstrate their commitment to responsible animal care and use. In addition, some research funding agencies have begun to request accreditation.
"We currently do a great job with our animal care and use program and AAALAC accreditation will help us to improve our program," said Candice Yekel, director of regulatory affairs. "I believe we are good stewards."
Approval by AAALAC shows an institution is not only complying fully with federal and state regulations but going above and beyond what the regulations require.
AAALAC site visitors will be on campus to review University Park practices later in the summer. Contact the Office of Regulatory Compliance at (814) 865-1775 for details.
Eva Pell, vice president for research and dean of the graduate school, said that while Penn State has an excellent program for monitoring animal care and use, full accreditation status from AAALAC will give the University an independent assessment which will considerably strengthen its educational programs and ability to compete for sponsored research.