Connecting the Dots: Helpful Hints for Navigating Important Programmatic Updates

• Announcements impacting the U-M animal care and use community are routinely posted on the main page of the ACU Program website (animalcare.umich.edu) and can also be found by visiting animalcare.umich.edu/announcements.
  • Announcements are arranged in descending date order, with the most recent announcements posted at the top of the page
  • Announcements are categorized by area/unit of interest and can be sorted by selecting a specific category (e.g., all news and announcements related to drugs)
• Animal Care & Use Program Newsletter – Published quarterly and distributed to all individuals on an active animal use protocol, archived newsletter issues can be found at animalcare.umich.edu/newsletters. Be sure to add acu-communications@umich.edu to your Address Book or list of approved senders to continue receiving important email messages and updates from the ACU Program, including the newsletter.
• Frequently Asked Questions – Our Program maintains a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions about the use of animals in research. Available at animalcare.umich.edu/program-faqs, this list covers a wide range of topics, including questions about accreditation and oversight processes, responding to media inquiries, and why animals are necessary for continued advancements in both human and animal medicine.
• Site Search – Using the search feature on the Animal Care & Use Program website allows you to simultaneously search three websites (the main website, Research A-Z, and eRAM Reference Materials) all at once. After you’ve entered a search term, you can sort your search results by date, relevance, and website (see example screenshot below):
• Program Contact Directory – Available via PDF download using valid Level-1 U-M login credentials, this recently updated directory contains contact information (e.g., phone numbers and email addresses) for our program’s most frequently requested contacts.
• Frequently Required Grant Data – Frequently requested grant data, including the U-M's last AAALAC accreditation date, PHS Assurance Number, and USDA Registration Number, can be found on the homepage of the main ACU website. Grant boilerplate language about the ACU Program is also available for download at animalcare.umich.edu/grant-boilerplate.

Built with ease of use in mind, the Animal Care A-Z website offers many features, including:

• A quick search of all program documents that can be sorted by topic (e.g., surgery, husbandry, anesthesia and analgesia, etc.), species, and/or document type (policy, guideline, SOP, form, informational)
• Document update banners that tell you when a specific document has been updated, a brief summary of the changes, and how the changes may impact your research
• Pre-sorted lists of most recently updated and most viewed documents
• An enhanced user-interface with color-coded documents, document definitions, standardized formatting, embedded glossary terms, and chart/image integration
• Printer-friendly versions of all documents available at the click of a button
• Access to helpful quick reference sheets and print-ready flyers (Animal Concern Hotline, Expired Drugs Poster, Obtaining Veterinary Care) to post in your animal use area

The website can also be personalized by logging in with your Level-1 U-M login credentials.* Once logged in, you can:

• Bookmark documents you frequently use
• Sort your bookmarks by last updated date
• Save and rename a custom A-Z search (e.g., find all documents related to anesthesia and analgesia in mice) 

*Note: You may also need to log in to view some animal care and use documents.
Access to protected documents requires valid Level-1 U-M login credentials and listing on a currently approved animal use protocol.