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AAALAC Accreditation: Advocacy for Success

AAALAC Accreditation: Advocacy for Success. Topics. AAALAC Mission and Core Values How accreditation really works The many faces of Advocacy. Mission . Conduct peer review of animal care and use programs Educational efforts

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AAALAC Accreditation: Advocacy for Success

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  1. AAALAC Accreditation: Advocacy for Success

  2. Topics AAALAC Mission and Core Values How accreditation really works The many faces of Advocacy

  3. Mission • Conduct peer review of animal care and use programs • Educational efforts • Mission is executed through use of standards and reference resources during conduct of site visits

  4. Core Values Voluntary Peer Review Animal Welfare Sound Programs Collegial Science Confidential Accuracy

  5. AAALAC Accreditation • Promotes • Sound science through quality animal care • Advocacy for every institution

  6. Advocacy…. • The Board of Trustees is involved in the selection of candidates for Council member nominations • i.e., representation from the scientific community

  7. Advocacy…. • Expertise of the site visit team • Highly credentialed and experienced site visitors • 57 Council members • 368 Ad Hoc site visitors

  8. Advocacy…. • Customization of the site visit team Perhaps the single most important aspect of AAALAC advocacy is customizing each site visit team to reflect context of each institution. …starts with the assignment of the Council member …continues with choosing of the site visit team • Considerations: • Unit characterization: • pharma vs academia • Decentralized vs centralized • Land grant vs medical school. • Animal species • Type of research

  9. Advocacy…. • Approximately 98% of institutions achieve/ maintain Full Accreditation status • Although nearly all site visits identify issues, institutions have overwhelmingly sound, successful programs • Likely due to a variety factors….

  10. Factors for success… • The exit briefing: • Not a debate about an observation, but the exit briefing provides an opportunity to dialogue and clarify • To correct an error • Sometimes, if time permits, it permits a ‘relook’ of an observation to if a possible misread has occurred • Emphasis that issues/findings are preliminary

  11. Factors for success… • The post site visit communication (PSVC) • Institutions are encouraged to correspond with the Council after the site visit & before the Council meeting – sometimes multiple opportunities… • Although units submit the PSVC to the AAALAC Office, the Council member may contact the unit to clarify an item in the PSVC

  12. Factors for success… • The Council deliberative process: • By default, the Council member/ team leader assumes an advocate role • Lively debate in each section using the “what-why-what” criteria for determining which issues are findings

  13. Advocacy…. • Retractions/ Clarifications • Retraction statements serve the purpose of not perpetuating an error on AAALAC’s part and a misunderstanding for the unit. • If during Council deliberations it is determined that the institution misinterpreted/ misunderstood an issue described at the exit briefing… • -or- if it was determined that one of the findings described by the site visit team at the exit briefing was unfounded… • A retraction/clarification statement is added to the accreditation letter.

  14. Advocacy…. Inconsistency Report Year/ Trimester________________________ Council Section______________________________ Consistency reports from each section at every Council meeting

  15. Advocacy…. • Council concerns committee • Council has established a committee to investigate reported concerns and recommend corrective actions when necessary

  16. Factors for success… • Education: • Members of the AAALAC staff and Council are very active and engaged in education and outreach activities

  17. Advocacy…. • Transparency…. • Position statements – public comment period for proposed position statements • FAQ’s – to clarify the AAALAC perspective

  18. Position Statements Definition of "Laboratory Animals“ The Attending Veterinarian and Veterinary Care Cage or Pen Space Social Housing Selecting the Appropriate Standard(s) for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals Safety Requirements for Walk-In Cage/Rack Washers and Bulk Sterilizers Occupational Health and Safety Program Macacine herpesvirus 1 (or Herpes B virus)

  19. FAQ’s • 51 FAQ’s in 9 categories: • AAALAC International's Assessment Process • Animals Included in the AAALAC International Accredited “Unit” • Institutional Responsibilities • Animal Environment, Housing and Management • Veterinary Medical Care • Physical Plant • Administration • The Accreditation Process • Maintaining Accreditation

  20. Summary • Expertise • COA/ BOT collaborations • Institutional success • COA member advocate role • Careful deliberations • Exit briefing • PSVC process • Education • Retractions/clarifications • COA concerns committee • Track inconsistencies • Transparency – PS’s and FAQ’s

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