AAALAC International – Main Campus/Kingsville Accreditation Revisit 2024 (February 19-23)
Representatives of AAALAC International (AAALAC) will be revisiting the Bryan/College Station and School of Pharmacy in Kingsville portions of Texas A&M University’s animal program February 19-23, 2024.
Background
AAALAC International is a voluntary, private, nonprofit accrediting organization that supports quality research, testing and education by promoting humane and responsible animal care and use through triennial assessment of participating institutions, and accreditation of those that meet or exceed applicable standards.
It should be noted that the revisit excludes PIs, protocols, activities and locations associated with the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, as well as activities with client owned animals and most veterinary clinical spaces within the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
Additional information as to the schedule, timing and scope of the revisit will be shared with impacted stakeholders as the visit becomes closer.
How can PIs Prepare for the Revisit?
A successful revisit is an important and vital step in maintaining the AAALAC Accreditation for the main campus and Kingsville animal program. What can PI’s and others do to prepare?
- View the short video training on preparing for AAALAC and review/utilize the materials referenced (below and available on the Guidance page) [link to AWO-P-040 video here]
- View the video recording of the AAALAC Post Site Visit IACUC Conversation held in October 2023 and Review/utilize the materials referenced(below) [link to AWO-P-046 video here]
- Participate in preparatory visits from the AWO staff and/or IACUC to ensure issues noted during the 2023 site visit have been fully addressed
- Eliminate or address protocol drift to avoid noncompliance in ongoing projects – identify drift, return to activities as described in the IACUC approved AUP, and submit a protocol amendment to address desired modifications
- Ensure your AUP application is complete before submitting for IACUC review by following all field instructions and section help text
- Be aware of requirements described in IACUC Guidance (requires TAMU NetID authentication) including labeling and record keeping – see materials referenced below https://vpr.tamu.edu/animals-in-research-and-teaching/texas-am-iacuc-guidance/
- Singly house animals as described in the AUP or based on the clinical/husbandry exceptions described in TAMU-G-027 [PDF]
- Ensure all protocol personnel who work with live animals have read and understand the AUP and their role in the research/teaching performed
- Encourage laboratory representatives to answer that they do not know the answer to questions posed by the AAALAC site visitors when unsure of the answer rather than guessing… and then direct the site visitors to the individual who can supply the answer
Suggested Materials
Hints/Tips for Maintaining Compliance
PI Self-Assessment to Identify Protocol Drift/Noncompliance
- AWO-C-012 PAM-PI Self-Assessment Checklist [DOC]
- TAMU-C-002 IACUC Facility Inspection Checklist Guide – PI Locations [PDF]
IACUC Guidelines
- AWO-O-003 List of IACUC Guidance [PDF]
- AWO-O-052 Reference to TAMU IACUC Required Recordkeeping and Labelling [PDF]
AUP Tools
For more Information or Assistance
Please contact the Animal Welfare Office staff at animalcompliance@tamu.edu or 979.845.1828 with any questions you may have about the revisit process.