Faculty Advocacy Committee
Keeping apprised of, let alone adhering to, the latest rules, regulations, policies, and guidelines governing animal care and use can feel burdensome. Protocol reviews may take too long, protocol questions may feel inconsistent or redundant, and additional documentation seems like it takes too much time to complete.
As a member of such a large research institution, you may feel like there are an endless number of requirements that slow your ability to conduct research while doing little to promote animal welfare.
The primary aim of the Animal Care & Use Faculty Advocacy Committee (ACU-FAC) is to define the impact that institutional regulatory requirements have on the PI’s ability to dedicate time to research and, when appropriate, help to refine those practices to a level that ensure the governing standards are satisfied with minimal regulatory burden.
To fulfill its role, the Committee will:
- Use the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Animals (PHS Policy), the Federal Animal Welfare Act Regulations (AWAR), and all of the associated animal care and use policies as resources;
- Prepare reports and make recommendations to the Institutional Official (IO) and the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee;
- Solicit, record, review, and investigate PI recommendations on regulatory matters that have the potential to impact protocol and amendment review timelines;
- Assess the impact of PI recommendations on regulatory risk and burden;
- Streamline the protocol and amendment review processes, and provide recommendations to the Animal Care & Use Program to increase efficiency and effectiveness;
- Educate and disseminate information to the research and instructional community about the Animal Care & Use Program.
Committee Structure
Established in 2018 by S. Jack Hu, PhD, former Vice President for Research and the IO for the Animal Care & Use Program at the University of Michigan (U-M), and coordinated by Bill Greer, BS, CPIA, LAT, CM, Assistant Vice President for Research – Animal Program Compliance Oversight and Director of the Animal Care & Use Office (ACUO), the ACU-FAC is charged with assessing and, where possible, mitigating the regulatory burden associated with animal care and use research processes at the University of Michigan.
The Committee is comprised of faculty members whose research portfolios include a variety of vertebrate animal activities across multiple disciplines.
Current Committee Members
| Name | Department | Email Address |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Jutkiewicz, PhD (Chair) | Pharmacology | ejutkiew@umich.edu |
| Zachary Freeman, DVM, PhD, DACLAM | ULAM Faculty Veterinarian | freemanz@umich.edu |
| Kurt Hankenson, DVM, MS, PhD | Orthopaedic Surgery | kdhank@umich.edu |
| Jason Knight, MD, PhD | Rheumatology | jsknight@umich.edu |
| Yasmina Laouar, PhD | Microbiology & Immunology | ylaouar@umich.edu |
| Jean Nemzek, DVM, MS, DACVS | ULAM Faculty Veterinarian | jnemzek@umich.edu |
| Dinesh Pal, PhD | Anesthesiology | dineshp@umich.edu |
| Sara N. Smith, BS, LVT | Microbiology & Immunology | sarazak@umich.edu |
| James Weiland, PhD | Biomedical Engineering; Ophthalmology | weiland@umich.edu |
Current Support Staff
Staff members from different units, including the ACUO, the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM), and the U-M research community, support the Committee by providing guidance and insight on which changes can and cannot be implemented based on current regulations.
| Name | Title | Email Address |
|---|---|---|
| Erin Czarniak, BS, CPIA, LATG | Associate Director – Quality Assurance, ACUO | leslieer@umich.edu |
| Bill Greer, BS, CPIA, LAT, CM | Assistant VP for Research – Animal Program Compliance Oversight & Director, ACUO | wggreer@umich.edu |
| Scot Pittman, BS, LATG | Quality Assurance Specialist, ACUO | scotp@umich.edu |
| Noel B. Ramsey, MS, CPIA, LVT, LATG | Assistant Director – Research Compliance, ACUO | nbramsey@umich.edu |
Anyone with suggestions or concerns regarding areas of increased regulatory burden are strongly encouraged to reach out to Committee members and support staff for further discussion.
Ensuring that U-M scientists play an active role in enhancing and further developing our Animal Care & Use Program through refined practices that reduce administrative burden, while still achieving the highest animal welfare standards, is critical to the long-term success of our Program, and to the success of our researchers.
We welcome your continued collaboration on this exciting and important initiative!
Questions?
Questions about the Animal Care & Use Program’s Faculty Advocacy Committee should be directed to the Animal Care & Use Office at acuoffice@umich.edu.