UMass Medical School has been awarded full accreditation by the American Association for the Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC International). AAALAC accreditation is an affirmation of an institute’s commitment to the highest standards for the welfare of animals used in research and education.
“The council commends you and the staff for providing and maintaining an excellent program of laboratory animal care and use,” wrote Bart Carter, DVM, MS, director of the AAALAC accreditation council.
The council cited the UMMS program’s excellent institutional support, well maintained facilities, high level of training and experience, and proactive commitment to looking at trends and process improvement.
“Preparing for and hosting an AAALAC site visit is a major undertaking that takes months,” said George DeMarco, MS, DVM, DACLAM, associate professor of pathology and director of animal medicine at UMMS. “Full accreditation would not have been possible without the concerted and coordinated efforts of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Facilities Management, Environmental Health and Safety, Employee Health and the entire research community as well as Animal Medicine.” Casey Moran, director of the IACUC and Institutional Biosafety Committee, was instrumental in preparing for and conducting the AAALAC site visit.
AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that has promoted the humane treatment of animals in science since 1965.
