On May 24, 2023, a group of APA member scientists who conduct research with animals met with congressional staff to promote the public health value of animal research. They thanked their members of Congress for their support of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the resources NIH devotes to research with animals. They spoke out against the Humane and Existing Alternatives in Research and Testing Sciences Act (H.R. 1024opens in new window), which would establish a center at NIH to promote alternatives to animal research and significantly increase barriers to funding for such research.
Agnѐs Lacreuse, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, explained to congressional staff why the marmosets in her laboratory are a useful model for studying cognition and Alzheimer’s disease, and Alex Ophir, PhD, of Cornell University, discussed the importance of his research teaching pouched rats to sniff out explosives. Congressional staff acknowledged that they hear much more often from representatives of organizations opposed to animal research than from those who conduct and support it.
Other behavioral scientists who participated in the Hill Day include Donna Korol, PhD, of Syracuse University, Ken Leising, PhD, of Texas Christian University, Jeff Grimm, PhD, of Western Washington University, Brett Frye, PhD, of Emery and Henry College, and Kim Boller, PhD, of APA. They participated in 19 Hill visits.
APA Services works with the Committee on Animal Research and Ethics and Division 6 (Society of Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology) to promote and defend research with animals as part of our advocacy priority to advance the scientific infrastructure and regulatory environment.
For more information, contact Pat Kobor.