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AAALAC Global Growth Expands to Pacific Rim
Submitted by Loren D. Koller, SOT Representative to the AAALAC Board of Trustees
The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC ) International held its annual Board of Trustees meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, September 20, 2009. Officers for the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees were elected at the September 2009 meeting and Dr. Koller, SOT representative to AAALAC, was elected Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee.
AAALAC continues to grow and presently accredits laboratory animal facilities in 31 different countries. The most recent growth has been in the Pacific Rim Region that now has 53 accredited units in 10 different countries. This past year, AAALAC hired a Regional Director for Southeast Asia and developed a Pacific Rim Council Section consisting of six veterinarians and scientists who will conduct the accreditation site visits in those countries. The Regional office is located in Thailand.
The overall number of institutions currently accredited by AAALAC worldwide is 781. Of these, 339 were site-visited this past year. AAALAC also offers a Program Status Evaluation service that is designed to be consultative in nature to assist institutions in preparing for applying for accreditation. This service provides a useful tool for organizations that are less familiar with the steps necessary to achieve accreditation. This past year, AAALAC hosted two day-long conferences, one in San Diego, California, on “Quality Animal Care” and one in Rome, Italy, on “Approaches to an Ethical Review.” Materials from these conferences are available upon request. For more information visit the AAALAC Web site.
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