NHLBI Animal Program Division

National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

ANIMAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT In addition to the surgery core, the NHLBI animal program provides veterinary care, research technical support and animal husbandry to rodents in NHLBI operated facilities and oversight of NHLBI animal activities in other NIH facilities. This includes logistical and financial management as well as regulatory compliance for all NHLBI animal activities. Dr. Hawkins and Ms. Joni Taylor also serve as members of the NHLBI Animal Care and Use Committee which is responsible for the research use and regulatory compliance of the animal research activities. Dr. Hawkins and the program managers also assist investigators in the planning of research projects, preparation of animal protocols and implementation of the work. SURGERY CORE SCIENTIFIC IMPACT 2017 Orloff Awards Shawn Kozlov, Kathy Lucas and Joni Taylor as part of the Orloff Award to Dr. Sonia Nielles-Vallespins lab for: Myocardial microstructural dynamics by in-vivo diffusion tensor cardiac magnetic resonance: preclinical validation and clinical translation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Hawkins as part of the Orloff Award to Dr. Haiming Caos lab: For Identifying and Characterizing Funcitional LncRNA Metabolic Regulators in vivo. Training within DIR ASR provides a formal 4 hour training class for all research staff who do animal surgery in NHLBI. We provide investigators with surgical training both within formal classes and in one-on-one settings. Over the past 12 months, we have formally trained 13 investigators and technical staff in basic surgical skills and aseptic technique in our investigator training course. Outside DIR Teaching & Mentoring For the last 17 years, Dr. Robert Hoyt (formerly NHLBI and now in NCI) has led and the ASR staff has served as instructors for multiple microsurgical workshop wet-labs (basic and advanced) at the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS). The travel for this is sponsored and paid for by AALAS. This is one of their most popular and highly rated workshops. Instructors from ASR in 2016 were Jeffries, Keeran, and Zetts. In 2016, Dr. Hoyt, Randy Clevenger, Joni Taylor and the ASR staff conducted day-long microsurgery workshops for staff at NIH. One session covered basic microsurgical techniques (10 students) and one advanced class of 6 students. We plan to continue this offering and see it as a valuable training opportunity for NIH. ASR staff taught a workshop at the area NCAB-AALAS conference on suturing technique in 2016 and an on-campus suturing workshop sponsored by NCAB in 2017. ASR staff also had a very popular session for the 2017 Take Your Child to Work Day.