***In-Person Meeting***
Please register by November 27th. Registration is required for this in-person meeting.
How We Are Minimizing the Impact of Facility Maintenance Activities in Our Animal Care and Use Program: History and Implementation of our FM-Animal Facility Liaison Position
There are a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors that impact our animal models. Researchers attempt to control the intrinsic factors by selecting specific, standardized biological characteristics in their research models. The extrinsic factors (those factors external to the animal itself) are far more difficult to control; the human elements of the animal care and use program, including research, animal care, and support team members, all play an important role in carefully monitoring and controlling these variables. Environmental, chemical, biological, and other factors can have an adverse impact on the animals, and subsequently adversely impact research results. It is critical that personnel working in the animal facilities are both aware of and understand the impact that noise, vibration, lighting, odors, air quality, and many other extrinsic factors may have on research animal colonies. It is also critical that personnel stop, think, coordinate, and communicate with the other human elements of the animal care and use team to minimize the occurrence and impact of these disruptions. In this presentation, University of Maryland College Park team members will present their approach to minimizing the adverse impact of routine and emergency Facilities Management (FM) activities on their animal colonies and the research results to which they contribute.
Presenters:
Jason Lurie, BA, MBA, CEFP
Facilities Manager, Animal Care and New Construction (Animal Facility Liaison), Facilities Management (FM)
Prior to joining University of Maryland College Park Facilities Management team, Jason served as a performing arts Facilities Manager at American University. He began his work at UMD-CP in 2014 as a Facilities Manager at the Clarice Center for Performing Arts and the University House (President’s Residence). He later moved to the Facilities Manager position for the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center, the first new construction on the university’s historic mall in decades which houses the chemistry/general education classrooms, and in 2018, Jason became the Facilities Manager for Animal Care and New Construction, and the program’s FM-Animal Facility Liaison.
Dawn Jackson, BS, LATG, ILAM
Animal Operations Manager, Department of Laboratory Animal Resources
Dawn received her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD-CP) and spent the past 40-plus years advancing the care of research and teaching animal colonies at the UMD-CP campus. Having learned about laboratory animal science during her schooling, she was hired as the first animal care technician for the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences. She later transitioned over to the Department of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) where she has supported the continuing evolution of the animal care and use program on campus.
Shannon Stutler, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, CPIA, DACLAM
Part-time Clinical Veterinarian, Department of Laboratory Animal Resources
Part-time IACUC Consultant, Division of Research
After retiring from the Army where she worked as a laboratory animal medicine veterinarian, Shannon provided lab animal support to a number of academic, government and contract research organizations. She began working at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2014 as an interim IACUC coordinator and was later able to serve as the interim/acting Attending Veterinarian while UMD-CP searched for a new permanent AV. During her time as AV, she advocated for a specialist to serve as a liaison between Facilities Maintenance and the animal care and use program on campus; a few months later, FM developed that position. Shannon continues to support animal care and use at the College Park campus as a part time clinical veterinarian, IACUC member, and part time IACUC consultant.
Download Flyer Here
