Animal Care Services (ACS) assists researchers and educators in ensuring that the highest standards in humane care and treatment of all living animals involved in science are met. As the unit that supports the Animal Care Committee (ACC), ACS provides service, support and leadership in several areas:
- ACS ensures that our ethical responsibilities towards the animals are met through adherence to the University of Guelph Animal Care Policy and Procedures, the provincial legislation and regulations of the Animals for Research Act, and the national guidelines and policies of the Canadian Council on Animal Care.
- ACS supports the institutional ethical review committee, the Animal Care Committee, which carries the formal responsibility of overseeing all animal use and care at the institution, and which has the authority to make decisions on all activities involving live animal use.
- ACS manages all Animal Utilization Protocols, formal applications to use animals in science, teaching and public events within the institution. ACS also manages facility inspections and accreditations, aspects of animal procurement, conditioning, husbandry, and veterinary care for the main campus, affiliated research stations, and regional campuses.
- ACS provides an Animal User Training Program to ensure that all personnel interacting with animals are well trained and qualified. This educational program promotes a university wide culture and understanding of ethical conduct of research and teaching when live animals are involved.
Animal Care Services (ACS) aims to:
- provide service and assistance in the Animal Utilization Protocol (AUP) application and the Animal Care Committee (ACC) approval process
- enhance research through provision of training and support to researchers
- provide high quality veterinary services to the research community
- enhance the post-approval review and refinement processes
ACS leadership, service, and support is provided by eight staff members:
- Veterinary Director, ACS (Vacant)
Oversees the Animal Ethics and Compliance administration, the veterinary program, and provides clinical and support services to researchers working with laboratory rodents, small companion animals, fish, reptiles and amphibians; assists with Animal Utilization Protocol (AUP) development.
- Director, Training and Education, ACS (Dr. Anna Bolinder)
Oversees the Animal User Training program; the veterinary program for agricultural animals, and the Post-Approval Review program; provides clinical and support services to researchers and facility managers working with cattle, swine, sheep, poultry, horses and wildlife; assists with Animal Utilization Protocol (AUP) development.
- Program Manager, ACS (Sascha Tuuha)
Leads and manages the Animal Ethics & Compliance subunit, overseeing the University’s Animal Care and Use program including the AUP approval process, Animal Use tracking, Animal Care Committee (ACC) activities and compliance with Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) requirements.
- Animal Ethics Coordinator, ACS (Deepa Menon)
Coordinates the AUP, Amendment and Renewal review and approval processes including the assignment of reviewers and organization of reviewer queries and Principal Investigator responses; Organizes, sets agendas and takes minutes for ACC meetings.
- Compliance Coordinator, ACS (Jennifer Frayne)
Coordinates ACC facility site visits, OMAFRA inspections and CCAC assessments and responses; Approves animal orders; Tracks and reports Animal Use numbers to OMAFRA and the CCAC and manages the process for the approval of standard operating procedures in animal facilities.
- Clinical Veterinarian, ACS (Dr. Lena Levison)
Provides clinical and support services to researchers, facility veterinarians and facility managers working with livestock animals and horses; assists researchers with AUP development; instructs in the Training program including mentor-facilitated training.
- Post-Approval Review (PAR) Coordinator, ACS (Martha Manning)
Leads and coordinates the Post-Approval Review program for AUPs; conducts review visits to labs and facilities to provide support and guidance for research teams; assists and trains at the research team and facility level for compliance and consistency in research outcomes.
- Training Coordinator, ACS (Maka Natsvlishvili)
Develops, implements and coordinates the Training program for all personnel working with animals; instructs in workshops and orientations; assesses training and educational requirements and needs for personnel; organizes and provides mentor-facilitated training in specific skills.