Announcements

eRAM IACUC Safety

Medical Surveillance Clearance Requirement for Protocol Approval

Institutions are responsible for maintaining an Occupational Health & Safety Program (OHSP) as part of their overall animal care and use program. This program must comply with all federal, state, and local regulations, and should focus on maintaining a safe and healthy workplace. The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) is responsible for overseeing ...
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QA

How Can the Quality Assurance Team Benefit You?

The Animal Care & Use Office Quality Assurance (QA) Team is a resource for the research community. Through meetings with PIs and their laboratories, the QA Team supports the research community by providing immediate assistance with solving individual laboratory problems and collating laboratory feedback to promote programmatic change(s). Since Fall 2017, the QA Team has ...
Graphic - how can the ACU Quality Assurance Team Assist Your Laboratory?

Training

Reminders and Best Practices for Animal Care & Use Program Training

Maintaining a comprehensive training and education program is essential to the U-M’s ongoing commitment to sustained excellence and compassion in animal care and use. To that end, all faculty and staff who work with animals in the conduct of their teaching or research are encouraged to review the following reminders and best practices for Animal ...
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Husbandry ULAM

Travis Stein Named New Assistant Manager for Husbandry Services

We are pleased to announce that Travis Stein, RLATg, ILAM, has been named the new Assistant Manager for Husbandry Services in the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM). Travis has 11 years of experience in laboratory animal medicine, beginning as an animal caretaker and eventually moving into a supervisor role in 2011 at Georgetown University. ...
Travis Stein, RLATG, ILAM headshot

Nominations Sought for New Excellence in Research Animal Care & Use Awards Program

The Animal Care & Use Program has established a new Excellence in Research Animal Care & Use Awards Program to celebrate staff excellence in the humane care and use of animals in research within the University of Michigan (U-M) animal research community. This annual awards program, administered in the academic fall semester, recognizes a member ...
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Guidelines

Are You Familiar With the New Sanitization Guidelines?

Earlier this year, the Animal Care & Use Program introduced two new guidelines to help formalize the cleaning process for ALL equipment that does not go to cagewash (i.e., not cleaned by ULAM). These guidelines were specifically developed as a resource to help Principal Investigators (PIs) and their labs remain consistent with guidance for equipment cleaning ...
Sticky note reminder to review the new sanitization guidelines

Facilities Safety

We’re Looking for a Few Good Research Role Models

With many new faculty, staff, and students descending upon campus to start the new academic year, we’re looking for a few good research role models. You may wonder, what makes a good research role model? Any individual in any position (student, administrator, faculty, staff, technician, etc.) can serve as an exemplary research role model for ...
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ULAM

Carrie Childs-Thor Named Managing Director of Husbandry Operations

We are pleased to announce that Carrie Childs-Thor, BS, CMAR, LATg, has been named the new Managing Director of Husbandry Operations in the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM), effective June 1, 2019. Childs-Thor has been in the laboratory animal medicine field for over 22 years and has served in various roles within ULAM, including Supervisor, ...
Carrie Childs-Thor, BS, RLATG, CMAR headshot

eRAM

New PI Proxy Role Available in eRAM June 10

In response to overwhelming feedback provided by the research community during Animal Care & Use Office (ACUO) Quality Assurance Visits, the ability to assign an individual to act on behalf of the Principal Investigator (PI) on a protocol in the eResearch Animal Management (eRAM) system will be available starting Monday, June 10, 2019. The new ...
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Federal Regulations & Standards IACUC

What Happens to Semi-Annual Inspection Findings

With Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) semi-annual facility inspections concluding and individuals following up on any eRAM Action Items, you may be wondering what happens to all of the information the Animal Care & Use Office (ACUO) collects. The semi-annual inspection process is used by the IACUC to ensure that U-M continues to ...
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Controlled Substances Drugs

Controlled Substances Monitoring Program Introduces Revised Escalation Plan

In an effort to further strengthen, safeguard, and support research at the University of Michigan, the U-M Controlled Substances in Research Monitoring Program has introduced a revised escalation plan (available via PDF download) for all individuals who use controlled substances in research. Central to the plan is an institutional commitment to increased transparency through more ...
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Facilities Safety

The Importance of Proper Sharps Disposal

Needlestick injuries are often a reality for nurses and lab personnel who regularly use needles in their day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, when needles and other sharps are not properly disposed of, these injuries can be incurred by individuals whose roles don’t involve handling of needles and who are otherwise unaware of their presence – including ULAM ...
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