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A New LookThe Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) is sporting a new look and new web site. Our new publicly-accessible web site includes information geared toward investigators, administrators, and the public, including IACUC Policies, environmental enrichment SOPs, guidance for new investigators, institutional compliance information, IACUC meeting information, and more. Don’t miss our extensive frequently asked questions. OAW has built the site so that it is quicker to expand and update as we develop content and receive requests from researchers. Please provide feedback or suggestions to your OAW liaison or oawrss@uw.edu. |
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Save the Date – February 28thDon’t miss this exceptional opportunity! On Wednesday February 28th, Dr. Esther Pearl from NC3Rs and Dr. Brianna Gaskill from Novartis will be at UW to provide a 2-hour afternoon seminar for our research community focused on experimental design and analysis. The session will be available in person (light refreshments will be provided) and via Zoom. Dr. Pearl will share key strategies you can use to make your results more reliable, and tools that can help you optimize the design of your experiments, including the Experimental Design Assistant app. Dr. Gaskill will provide rules of thumb for quick assessment of experimental design and sample size so that both scientists and IACUCs can determine when they might want to seek input from a biostatistician. Find more information on our website. Reach out to your OAW liaison or oawrss@uw.edu if you have questions. |
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New OAW LeadershipIn addition to a new look and a new website, OAW also has new leadership. OAW is now led by two Directors, who have over 19 years of combined experience working in the office. Aubrey and Jennifer have been acting as interim directors in the office since early 2022, and their positions have recently been made permanent. Dr. Aubrey Schoenleben, Director of Regulatory Affairs & External Partnerships, oversees interactions with regulatory agencies, memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and collaborative agreements, public records requests, and OAW’s role in the 3Rs program. Dr. Jennifer Iwamoto, Director of Internal & IACUC Operations, oversees internal OAW processes, IACUC support, the investigation of animal welfare concerns and non-compliances, as well as OAW’s role in outreach and openness initiatives. Jennifer also serves as an OAW liaison. Together, Aubrey and Jennifer provide strategic leadership for the office. They look forward to working with UW’s research community in their new capacities and continuing to support the responsible and humane use of animals in research. |
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OAW Has a New Reviewer/Liaison!OAW is excited to introduce Dr. Mitch Hinton, who is joining our team as a Scientific Reviewer and OAW Liaison. Mitch received his Master’s in Avian Ecology and his PhD in Animal Behavior at the University of California, Davis. He has extensive experience in bird and field research studying social behavior in American Flamingos, reproductive behavior in Red-backed Fairy-wrens, West Nile Virus transmission in American Crows, and behavioral development in Wood Ducks. Having developed a captive rearing and release program for wild Wood Ducks as a component of his doctorate, Mitch has a passion for animal welfare in research. He is excited to get the opportunity to work with a diverse array of researchers at UW. As you may know, every PI with an IACUC protocol is assigned an OAW liaison. Over the month of February, OAW will be reassigning some PIs as we welcome Mitch to the team. You will be notified by email if your OAW liaison is changing. |
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Bag Your BagIt has been noticed that backpacks are being brought through DCM facility hallways to behavior study rooms. These bags must be placed into facility provided plastic bags at the facility entrances. This ensures that fomites will not be tracked into animal housing and procedure rooms. |
