The IACUC Administrators Association (IAA) is a professional organization promoting collaboration, professional development, and continuing education in animal care and use compliance across diverse sectors like academia and industry. It serves as a hub for knowledge exchange and networking. Faculty focus on understanding applicable regulations, maintaining compliant animal care and use programs, and developing effective and efficient practices for program management.

Overall, the IAA ensures well-rounded professional development opportunities for individuals at various stages of their careers in biosafety administration, equipping them with the expertise needed to effectively navigate the complexities of the field.

Webinar Objectives

The objective of each webinar is to provide participants the opportunity to hold engaging conversations on practical tried and tested program management/operation techniques to achieve a desired goal.  To help initiate discussions, a member of the research compliance community will present ideas that focus on the topic of choice.  Colleagues will then participate in open discussions and help to refine and validate proposed practices.  Participants are encouraged to submit (wggreer@umich.edu) questions regarding the defined topic PRIOR TO the event.  During each session, attendees will be encouraged to discuss their own institutions practices and ideas.

Programs Support

Joining and maintaining a membership with the IAA ensures a myriad of benefits, including access to exclusive program discounts. Staying connected guarantees ongoing opportunities to save on essential programs, resources, and services that can significantly impact your professional development and organizational efficiency.

IAA activities are partially supported by OLAW, NIH and through memberships and event attendance fees.  We ask that you please become a new member or maintain your membership status (memberships are renewed annually).  If you are a current member of the IAA, you are free to attend webinars at no charge.  Individuals that are non-members or those with expired memberships will be asked to provide $75 in support for each webinar they attend.

Brief Agenda and Discussion Points

During the webinar, we will discuss the role of the IACUC Administrators Association in the IACUC Administrative Community. We will review 2023 program demographics, talk about upcoming programs, and then focus some discussion on “Hard Questions.”

Webinar Topics (Subject to change)

1. IAA Description and Background
2. 2024 IAA Activities Planning
3. Program Demographics (2023 Survey Data)
4. 2023 in Review
5. Some Hard Questions (Panel Experts)

Participants are encouraged to submit (wggreer@umich.edu) questions regarding PRIOR TO the event. During each session, attendees will be encouraged to discuss their own institutions practices and ideas.

Presenter(s) Biographies:

Standing IAA Faculty and Facilitators

Bill Greer, Assistant Vice President for Research, University of Michigan

Bill graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1985 with a degree in Microbiology.  He currently oversees the animal care and use, biosafety, lab safety, controlled substances, and autonomous systems research compliance programs.  His previous roles included the Associate Director for Research Compliance, IACUC Vice-Chair, and Biosafety Committee Chair at The Pennsylvania State University, and the production manager and safety director at Intervet, State College, PA (Formally Tri Bio Laboratories). Bill has overseen animal care and biosafety programs for over 30 years. 

In 2005, he organized and held the very first research administrators Best Practice Meeting, which establish a venue for research oversight professionals to informally meet and discuss programmatic concerns.  He continues to facilitate at least five annual Best Practice meetings covering both biosafety and animal care and use programs.  In 2010, he chaired the founding committee for the non-profit education based IACUC Administrators Association (IAA), and continues to serve as the organization’s president and chair of the board of directors.  Since 2007, Bill has served as ad hoc consultant to AAALAC Council where he performs institutional program reviews, assessments, and status determinations.  He served as a member of the Council of Certified Professional IACUC Administrators (CCPIA).  Bill continues to serve as an educator for the IBC and IACUC Administrative communities and has lectures at multiple venues including PRIM&R, AALAS, BTAA, and C3, as well as facilitates IBC and IACUC Best Practice Meetings.

Ron E. Banks, DVM:  received his veterinary degree from Auburn University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, and retired a Colonel from the United States Army Veterinary Corps.  After postings as the Director, Center for Comparative Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado; and Director, Office of Animal Welfare Assurance at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and the Director, Division of Comparative Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; he is currently retired.  Along his professional journey he has contributed as Council Member on AAALAC’s Council on Accreditation; Chairman of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee; Board Member for the IACUC Administrator’s Association; and Fellow of the National Academies of Practice.  Dr. Banks is board certified with the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine; the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine; and he is a Charter Diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare.

Guest Faculty

Lauren Danridge

Lauren joined Princeton University from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI where she served as the Assistant Director, Quality Assurance, and the Associate Director (6 years), ACUO. Prior to that, Lauren was the IACUC Director at Rutgers University (formerly UMDNJ), Newark, NJ (6 years).

Lauren has over 20 years of experience in laboratory animal research and compliance, including hands-on animal research and IACUC Administration. Lauren also has served as a research administrator in basic science departments, responsible for managing a variety of administrative processes, including pre- and post-award grant activities, contracts, manuscripts, presentations, and protocols. As an active contributor to the national animal care and use community and higher education institutions, Lauren regularly presents on research administration best practices for IACUC, occupational health and safety, and biosafety. Lauren is also the lead author for Lab Animal’s “Protocol Review” column and administrator of the IACUC-Administrators Listserv.

Lauren obtained her BA in psychology with honors in biopsychology at William Paterson University (where she also met her husband). In addition to her Six Sigma Green Belt (GBSS) and Lean Six Sigma (LSSS) certifications from Villanova University, Lauren holds the Certified Professional in IACUC Administration (CPIA) credential from PRIM&R and the Certified Professional Biosafety Compliance Administrator (CPBCA) from the Biosafety Administrators Association.

Dr. Pamela Lanford   -  Director of Animal Research Compliance, University of Maryland, College Park

Pamela Lanford is a developmental neuroscientist who obtained her MS from Ohio University and her PhD from the University of Maryland College Park (UMD). After completing her PhD, she became a postdoctoral fellow and research assistant professor, first at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, and later at the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. With research interests in the development of the mammalian cochlea, Dr. Lanford has published in a variety of national and international journals, including papers in Nature and Nature Genetics. Dr. Lanford returned to UMD from the NIH in 2001 and served as a lecturer in the Biological Sciences program for over a decade, during which time she was appointed to the UMD IACUC (2008). In 2014, Dr. Lanford took on the position of Director of Animal Research Compliance and earned her CPIA in 2017.  She also serves as Research Policy Advisor to the UMD Vice President for Research and is an active member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance IACUC Group. It is Dr. Lanford’s goal to implement effective animal research oversight through sharp attendance to the language and intent of the federal regulations and guidance, and ensure the humane and ethical use of animals in research while minimizing the impact of administrative burden on investigators and the institution.

The Meeting Time is 3:00 PM Eastern Time Zone