Research Support Fund: Staying Up to Date on the Best Practices in Animal Care

Ms. Geneviève Levasseur is the Laboratory Technician in the Department of Biological Sciences. She is also a valued member of the Animal Care and Biosafety Committee. She provides invaluable support to researchers and instructors who wish to use animals or biohazards in their research or teaching activities.

Ongoing professional development is essential for support staff such as Geneviève to stay up to date on the best practices in animal care. Research is constantly finding new ways to reduce the number of animals used in teaching and research and to promote research animals’ well-being. The Canadian Council of Animal Care (CCAC) provides education, training and workshop opportunities to support individuals and animal care committees in their efforts to refine their procedures and guidelines. Geneviève Levasseur therefore attended the CCAC’s annual two-day workshop held in Quebec City in spring 2018. This allowed her to exchange and share best practices with other animal care professionals and to report back on the expertise that was shared at this event to the other members of Bishop’s University’s Animal Care and Biosafety Committee.

The Research Support Fund of the Federal Government supports a portion of the costs associated with professional development of support staff, such as registration fees and travel costs for the Laboratory Technician to attend the CCAC National Workshop.