Collaborating to Build A Safer, More Secure Animal Care & Use Community

As your partners in conducting responsible research to benefit both human and animal health, members of the Animal Care & Use Program and, by extension, our collaborators across campus, place the utmost importance on the safety and security of our U-M research community.

To this end, we would like to draw your attention to two important updates:

Security Assessments Have Begun

The Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM), in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety & Security (DPSS), have partnered to conduct a full security assessment of where all animals are housed, including a review of access points to vivaria. Over the next six months, you may see ULAM personnel escorting DPSS staff around vivaria hallways.

As part of the assessment, DPSS staff may take photos and will likely be writing extensive notes about their observations. The assessment(s) will help us ensure that security settings are appropriate for the risks associated with a particular area, and to make recommendations on any suggested upgrades on an as-needed basis.

We are hopeful that this assessment will be complete by the end of the year. If you have questions or concerns, please email ulam-questions@umich.edu.

Remember, visits to any area where animals may be present should be planned well in advance and approved by the appropriate University entities. Visitors must be accompanied by a credentialed U-M employee at all times during the visit and should:

• Obey all safety requirements (e.g., goggles, gloves, lab coats, etc.);
• Read and abide by all instructions on posted signage; and
• Remain cognizant of important security considerations (no “tailgating” through doorways or propping doors).

If you ever suspect that someone has gained improper access to any area where animals are present, or to the offices of faculty/staff involved in animal care and use, please contact DPSS at (734) 763-1131.

Newly-Released Guidance on Communicating About Animal Research

The Animal Care & Use (ACU) Program has partnered with the Michigan Medicine Department of Communication to develop guidance on how to communicate about animal research.

U-M communicators routinely promote the results of research involving animals as part of showing the importance of this type of biomedical research in efforts to understand, diagnose, and treat human and animal diseases. These communicators, as well as the ACU Program, are also acutely aware of the potential for negative and unintentional attention regarding animal research.

To reduce this risk, researchers are strongly encouraged to consult, and partner with, both the ACU Program and their respective communications offices (Michigan Medicine Department of Communication, Michigan News Office, and/or the communicator that covers their department/school/college), on any aspect of communication regarding animals.

Additional guidance on creating content (stories, images, videos, social media posts) about research that involves animals can be found on the ACU Program’s Frequently Asked Questions webpage and on the Michigan Medicine Department of Communication Branding Guidelines website.

More detailed guidance on a variety of topics will be released later this year.

Have questions or concerns?

Our teams are available to assist you and your staff with everything from simple media inquiries to possible threats to health and safety. Please reach out to us at acu-media@umich.edu.

We are here to be advocates for your research and the responsible care and use of animals at the U-M.