AAALAC 2020 Site Visit Important News & Updates

As you may recall, our AAALAC 2020 Site Visit  was originally scheduled to occur in either May, June, or July. Unfortunately, the disruption caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the timing of our anticipated Site Visit.

We are now planning for the AAALAC Site Visit to occur in either July or August 2020.

This timeframe will depend entirely on the feedback and guidance provided by local and state health officials, and AAALAC’s ability to identify site team members that are able to travel to conduct the visit.

Despite this slight delay in our anticipated Site Visit dates and the ongoing challenges created by COVID-19, we hope that you will join us in capitalizing upon this time as an opportunity to further strengthen the culture of shared responsibility for excellence in animal care and use, and in research, that we have individually and collectively worked so hard to build.

To that end, we encourage each and every member of the U-M animal care and use community, supported by each and every laboratory, and each and every Principal Investigator, to get involved now in Site Visit preparations using the carefully-curated tools and resources below:

		A Plan to Stay Engaged & Stay Prepared (available via PDF download) – can be used as a self-directed guide to explore the many tools and resources our Animal Care & Use Program has developed to assist laboratories with AAALAC preparation. This document also includes important links to the: AAALAC Laboratory Spokesperson Designation Form IACUC Self-Guided Evaluation Form AAALAC Quick Reference Sheets
		AAALAC Virtual Chats – in the coming weeks, we’ll begin hosting short 30-minute virtual chats to answer questions and provide a quick overview of various topics of interest to the U-M research community. Click on the link above (or visit animalcare.umich.edu/aaalac-chats) to let us know which topics are of interest to you and your staff; you may also suggest additional topics.
		AALAS Learning Library (available via PDF download) – jumpstart your professional development and AAALAC Site Visit preparation(s) with this list of online courses and resources that provide a broad overview of trends and topics in laboratory animal science and laboratory management. Download the AALAS Learning Library Quick Reference Sheet (or paste animalcare.umich.edu/aalas-training into your web browser) for course descriptions, links to additional training and education resources, and information on how to request access to the AALAS Learning Library.

These are just a few of the myriad ways to stay engaged with our Program and our Animal Care & Use Team while awaiting a return to more normal research operations.

Please also remember that our team is available remotely and on campus to help safeguard and support your research.

Now more than ever, your partnership and support of our Program, our institution, and the animals entrusted to our care are of the utmost importance as we continue to prepare remotely for the AAALAC 2020 Site Visit.

Please remain vigilant to email and newsletter announcements in the coming weeks and months as we share additional details about the upcoming Site Visit, and don’t forget to bookmark the AAALAC webpage  on the Animal Care & Use Program website for more news, updates, and information.

We understand that this is a challenging and difficult time, and that you most certainly have many competing priorities.

We thank you for continuing to make preparing for the AAALAC Site Visit a priority, and for your unwavering commitment to building and sustaining a culture of shared responsibility for excellence and compassion in animal care and use here at the University of Michigan.

 Links marked with a lock icon can only be accessed using valid Level-1 U-M login credentials.