Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the RAMB include:
Direction of NICHD animal disease control programs. Provision of a clinical veterinary medicine program, including clinical diagnosis, therapy, and close coordination with the VRP Diagnostics and Research Services Branch. Provision of a comprehensive preventive medicine program to prevent disease in laboratory animals and to prevent the spread of disease from animals to humans (zoonoses).
Budget and CAN management; all NICHD animal holding costs are included under the RAMB budget.
Centralized animal ordering for the NICHD and formulation of policies and standards for animal ordering and receipt.
Administrative support to the NICHD Animal Care and Use Committee.
Operation of the Building 6B Shared Animal Facility, the NIHAC Shared Animal Facility, Suite 6C127 of the ACRF Animal Facility, and satellite aquatic animal holding areas in Buildings 6B, 32T-II, and 14G.
Representation of the NICHD on User Committees for all NIH animal facilities that maintain NICHD animals.
Representation of the NICHD Animal Care and Use Program to the NIH Office of Animal Care and Use (OACU). Coordination of the NICHD response to OACU inquires or requests for reports.
Evaluation of animal facilities and holding areas for design, animal housing systems, environmental control, and general operation so as to minimize research complications due to environmental variation or animal disease.
Implementation of procedures to assure compliance with federal policy, regulations, and legislation governing the ethical use of animals in biomedical research.
Development and implementation of procedures to facilitate continued NIH accreditation from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC).
