We know that you already receive a high volume of emails at an institution of our size, and that staying apprised of important programmatic changes impacting animal care and use can be difficult to navigate amidst your many competing priorities.
Use the following helpful hints to quickly access information and updates across both the Animal Care & Use (ACU) Program and Research A-Z websites:
Animal Care & Use Program website – animalcare.umich.edu
As the central hub for animal care and use at the U-M, this website includes a “news and announcements” feed, important upcoming reminders and deadlines, information about research services, and more.
- 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 [email protected] 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.
- 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.
Animal Care Research A-Z website – az.research.umich.edu/animalcare
The Animal Care A-Z website is home to all animal care and use program guidance documents, including policies, guidelines, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), forms, glossary terms, and informational resources.
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 U-M login credentials and listing on a currently approved animal use protocol.
The tools and resources available on both websites and via email help provide quick access to the information you need to maintain the highest animal welfare standards throughout your daily research operations.
Questions?
Questions or concerns about either website, or Animal Care & Use Program communications in general, should be directed to [email protected].