Patricia Foley, DVM, DACLAM
OAW Director
Phone: 434-924-1884
Email: plf6z

Angela Gamble, BS, LATG
OAW Compliance Manager
Phone: 434-924-5752
Email: adr8s

OAW Location & Contacts
Cobb Hall, Room S-052 & S-055
P.O. Box 800720
Charlottesville, VA
Fax: 434-982-4092
Email: animalwelfare

Training Links: Training Decision Tree | Live In-Person Training | Other Training Resources

Online Training

The Office of Animal Welfare offers access to a variety of web-based training modules. Descriptions and instructions for accessing the modules are shown below.

NOTE: you must either be an Approved Animal Handler,
or your name must have been submittted to the IACUC to become an Approved Animal Handler,
in order to access Animal Handler training at UVa.

How to access Animal Handler Training (UVa & LATA based training)

Go to this web page and log in using your UVa NetBadge credentials. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Scroll down the "Animal Handler Profile Data" page, or select “Training Records & Responsibilities” at the top of the page to navigate to the training section.
Read the instructions first, then click the "Module Title" button found in the right column of the table.
After successfully completing the training, including any assessment quiz, you may print your "Certificate of Completion".
Documentation of your completion of any training will occur automatically in the Office of Animal Welfare database.

Working Safely with Animals

This module presents information on the most common hazards associated with animal research and best practices to minimize risk of injury. This module is required for all Animal Handlers.

Animal Research Refresher for Faculty

This module is required to be taken by Principal Investigators of animal research protocols once every 3 years.

Rodent Survival Surgery

This module provides a general overview of proper surgical technique and basic considerations for anesthesia, pre-operative preparation, and post-operative care in rodents. This module is required for anyone performing survival surgery in rodents.

There are 3 separate training sections:

General Training in Rodent Survival Surgery
Simple Suture Patterns for Rodent Surgery
Special Considerations for Aseptic Surgery in a Transgenic Mouse Facility

Large Animal Surgery

This module provides an overview of proper surgical technique and basic considerations for anesthesia, pre-operative preparation, and post-operative care in USDA regulated species. The format requires flash software available on most computers. This module is required for anyone performing survival surgery on non-rodent mammals.

Frog Handler Training

This module is required for anyone handling frogs.

Laboratory Animal Training Association (LATA) Modules

These online training modules were developed to provide species-specific information on the humane care and use of lab animals, and techniques-specific modules such as Anesthesia and Analgesia of Rodents. You are required to complete all modules relevant to your research, i.e. one module for each species that you are using (modules not available for all species). If you are anesthetizing animals, there is an additional required module, Anesthesia and Analgesia of Rodents.

There are more modules listed on the website than are required. You only need take the modules that are required for your research program.

Documentation of your completion of any training module will occur automatically in the Office of Animal Welfare database.

Please print out the notice of completion for your own records.

See above for how to access these modules.

Working Safely With Nonhuman Primates

"Working Safely with Nonhuman Primates" was produced by the NIH Office of Animal Care and Use in 1999 for training staff in the NIH intramural research program. This video has a strong emphasis on proper use of personal protective equipment combined with understanding nonhuman primate behavior. This module is required for anyone working with nonhuman primates.
RealPlayer Video Formats ( RealPlayer Help and Downloads )
Best Quality - For those with high speed internet connections
Captioned - For the hearing impaired
Modem Access - For those with slower internet connections
Download - To save the clip for local playback, (file is 48MB).

English-language videotape - contact secoacu@od.nih.gov
Spanish-language videotape - "Medidas de Seguridad Cuando se Trabaja con Primates," uses a Spanish-speaking narrator and all on-screen text is in Spanish. Contact secoacu@od.nih.gov
CD - Contact olaw@od.nih.gov