UH IACUC

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

IACUC Meeting and Deadline Schedule

UH IACUC General Information

The IACUC is required to comply with 9 CFR 2.31(c)(1) – 8 and 2.31(d)(5)(6) & (7) Animal Welfare Act, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA).  The IACUC is also responsible for ensuring compliance with the Public Health Service Policy IV.B.1-8, Health Extension Act, Dept. of Health and Human Services and their agencies because the University of Hawai‘i receives extramural awards through grants and/or contracts administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

As a condition of agreement between the NIH, USDA, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Science Foundation (NSF), Veterans Administration (VA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funding of live vertebrate animal research and testing, institutions must ensure that such activities conducted at or sponsored by the institution, irrespective of funding shall comply with regulations and policies of the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), NIH.

Failure to comply risks suspension, limitation, or termination of financial assistance of NIH projects or all NIH funding for live vertebrate animal research and testing studies.

To ensure compliance with this condition, institutions should establish and implement policies that provide humane and ethically scientific research and testing whenever involving living vertebrate animal subjects.  The Animal Welfare Act and the Public Health Service Policy call upon institutions to establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) which carries out these responsibilities:

  • Review, at least once every six months, the research facility’s program for the humane care and use of animals.
  • Inspect, at least once every six months, all of the institution’s animal facilities (including satellite facilities).
  • Prepare reports of the IACUC evaluations and submit reports to the institutional Official
  • Review concerns involving the care and use of animals at the institution.
  • Make recommendations to the Institutional Official regarding any aspect of the animal program, facilities, or personnel training.
  • Review and approve, require modifications in, or withhold approval of those components of proposed activities related to the care and use of animals.  Continuing review of activities required not less than annually (APHIS requirement).
  • Review and approve, require modifications in, or withhold approval of those components of proposed significant activities regarding the care and use of animals.
  • Authorized to suspend an activity involving animals in accordance with specifications in IV.C. 6 of the PHS Policy (i.e., an activity that is not being conducted in accordance with applicable provision to the Animal Welfare Act, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the institution’s Assurance, or PHS Policy.

In fulfilling the requirements of ensuring research and instructional activities which use vertebrate animals, the IACUC evaluates animal use protocols (proposals) for appropriateness of the activities to determine necessity of the work through scientific justification and the humaneness of the procedures that will be experienced by the animal research or training subjects.

A respondent has the opportunity to review and to ask for reconsideration of decisions made by the IACUC. The respondent may also object to an individual’s involvement in either the evaluation or resolution of the matter if the respondent has a clear and justifiable reason to believe that said individual or subject matter expert has a conflict of interest or bias. The IACUC and/or the IO will evaluate these concerns and attempt to address them.

Direct any questions or concerns regarding IACUC decisions to the committee via awp@hawaii.edu.

Composition of University of Hawai‘i Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

The University of Hawai‘i’s IACUC is comprised of volunteer faculty and staff represented from its campuses and community colleges.  The University of Hawai‘i IACUC is also represented by volunteer community members unaffiliated to the University that express an interest is ensuring that live vertebrate research, testing, and instruction is conducted humanely and ethically.

The members are appointed to the committee by the system-wide program Institutional Official on the behalf of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.  Members are appointed for a three-year term.  The three-year term is subject to re-appointment upon satisfactory contribution to the University’s mission of ensuring oversight and evaluation of the animal care and use program and its components.

Member Composition
Member Designation Area of Expertise Number of Members
Affiliated Scientist Reproductive Biology 1
Affiliated Scientist Aquatic Species 2
Affiliated Scientist Marine Mammal Biology 2
Affiliated Scientist Field Biology 1
Affiliated Scientist Infectious Diseases 1
Affiliated Scientist Biochemistry 2
Affiliated Scientist Natural and Agricultural Sciences 1
Affiliated Scientist Microbiology 1
Non-affiliated Scientist Field Biology 2
Affiliated Veterinarian Laboratory Animal Practice 2
Affiliated Veterinarian Small and Large Animal Practice 1
Non-affiliated Veterinarian Large Animal Practice 1
Affiliated Non-scientist Laboratory Animal Technician 1
Affiliated Non-scientist Librarian 2
Non-affiliated Non-scientist Community Member 2

Animal Welfare Program Leadership

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Officers

IACUC Chairman

Dr. Axel Lehrer, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology & Pharmacology

IACUC Vice Chairman

Jenee Odani, DVM, DACVP
Staff Veterinarian, Animal & Veterinary Services Program

Administration and Research Support

Institutional Official

Victoria G. Rivera, MPH
Director, Office of Research Compliance

Program Manager

Diana Talerico Blanco, MS, LVT, LATG, CMAR
University of Hawai‘i, Office of Research Compliance

IACUC Coordinator

Denise M.L. Yee, CPIA
Certified Professional IACUC Administrator

FAQs