IACUC MEETING SCHEDULE, 2008 - 2009

* New protocols must be submitted by 5:00pm on the deadline to be scheduled for review at the corresponding IACUC meeting date. Protocols submitted after the deadline will be scheduled for review at the IACUC meeting the following month.

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was first past in 1966 to address the concerns of the American public regarding the acquisition and use of animals in research. To ensure adherence to the Act, Congress established a self-oversight mechanism for all research institutions; this oversight is through the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The 1985 Amendments to the AWA and concurrent changes in the Public Health Service Policy of Use of Animals by Awardees Institutions (PHS Policy) increased the oversight responsibilities of the IACUC. Today, every institution conducting animal-based research, teaching, or testing, must establish an IACUC to oversee the institution's Animal Care and Use Program. The IACUC's membership and responsibilities are mandated and defined by federal law and carried out through local policy.

UTA's Animal Care and Use Program encompasses all animals used by UTA for research, testing, education, or any other purpose. The IACUC is composed of UTA's attending veterinarian, a community member (non-affiliated), non-scientists, and scientists of UTA who use animals.

UTA’s Animal Care and Use Program conforms to the regulations and/or guidelines in:

•  Animal Welfare Act (administered and enforced by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
•  PHS Policy
•  National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

The IACUC is responsible for reviewing all research involving animals, and/or modifications to existing animal research studies. No study is to begin, and no modification is to be implemented, without IACUC review and approval.
The ultimate responsibility for compliance with the regulations that affect the care and use of animals lies with the animal users themselves; thus, it is of paramount importance that each researcher has knowledge of the regulatory requirements and local policies. The use of animals in research and teaching is a privilege carrying with it unique professional and moral obligations to ensure that animals are treated humanely and in accordance with the policies of UTA, the regulations of the Animal Welfare Act, the PHS Policy, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

For more information, please also see UTA's Handbook of IACUC Policies and Procedures.

For questions relating to animal subjects research, please contact Kirstin Morningstar in the Office of Research Integrity & Compliance.