Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Vertebrate Animals

The use of live vertebrate animals in research and educational programs in the United States must be in accordance with the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (the Guide), the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and the regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

To comply with these policies and regulations, every research institution in the United States must have an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). This committee has to be appointed by the chief executive officer of the institution and has to be representative of the entire institution. The committee must have a non-scientist member as well as a representative from the community who has no association with the University.

Jacksonville University must remain in compliance with the policies and regulations governing the use of live vertebrate animals in research and educational programs. The JU IACUC is responsible for insuring this compliance. The IACUC reports to the Institutional Official. The Institutional Official at Jacksonville University is Dr. Sherri Jackson, Vice Provost.  The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) has administrative oversight over animal care and use and the IACUC.

Faculty Mentors

When a student plans to conduct research involving animal models, the faculty mentor is expected to be actively involved from the development of the research project through its completion. This includes working with the student to develop and review the research protocol before it is submitted through IRBNet to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP). Neither ORSP nor the IACUC should be the first substantive review of a student's research protocol. Following submission, ORSP conducts an administrative review before the protocol moves forward to the IACUC for formal review. Submissions that are incomplete, unclear, or have not received substantive faculty mentor review may be returned to the student and faculty mentor for revision.

For a complete list of faculty mentor responsibilities related to an IACUC submission, click here.

Forms and Guidance

Each IACUC submission must have certain forms and documents included in the submission in order to meet the requirements for approval. Because the forms are updated periodically, PI's are advised to download new blank forms as needed directly from the ORSP website. The most current versions of the forms are available in the Forms and Template Library on IRBNet. To access these forms, log into IRBNet or create an account. Click here to access IRBNET. 

Upon receipt of an application, the ORSP will conduct an administrative review and return the package to the applicant if it is incomplete. If the application is complete and clear upon first submission or upon re-submission, the ORSP will forward the materials to the IACUC members.

Meeting Dates

The IACUC meets twice a year, late-spring and in mid-fall. To allow for adequate review by the IACUC, proposals should be submitted well in advance of the preferred start date. While every effort should be made to submit a proposal during the fall and spring review period, there are instances that may arise that make the schedule unconducive to research and teaching. Special requests for proposal reviews outside of the schedule will be considered on a case by case basis. PIs requesting a special review outside of the time parameters above should send the justifications for the request in an email to the IACUC Chair. The most current versions of the forms are available in the Forms and Template Library on IRBNet. To access these forms, log into IRBNet or create an account. Click here to access IRBNET.

For Research & Course Occuring:

  • Spring Semester 
    • Submission Deadline: Last week in September
    • Meeting Date: TBA
  • Fall Semester 
    • Submission Deadline: Last week in March
    • Meeting Date: TBA,

Contacts

For additional information, contact:

Dr. ClaribelTorres-Lugo

Research Compliance Administrator

For one-on-one personalized assistance, please contact us to make an appointment during our regular office hours (Monday thru Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) at juirb@ju.edu. Faculty mentors are required to attend the one-on-one sessions. 

Dr. Natasha Vanderhoff

Chair, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Office of Research & Sponsored Programs Intellectual Property

Related Links

Office of the Provost University Leadership About Jacksonville University

Contact

Office of Research & Sponsored Programs

Office location

Howard Administration Building
2800 University Blvd N
Jacksonville, FL 32211

Office hours

Mon – Fri, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.