ABSTRACT
A number of professional organizations exist that can serve as initial contacts for obtaining information regarding specific professional issues related to the care and use of laboratory mice. Membership in these organizations should be considered, since it allows the laboratory animal science professional to stay abreast of regulatory issues, improved procedures for the use of animals, management issues, and animal health issues. Relevant organizations include:
• American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS), 9190 Crestwyn Hills Drive, Memphis, TN 38125 (Tel: 901-7548620; E-mail: info@aalas.org; WWW: https://www.aalas.org), AALAS serves a diverse professional group, ranging from principal investigators to animal care technicians to veterinarians. Comparative Medicine and Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science are both published by AALAS and serve to
communicate relevant information. AALAS sponsors a program for certification of laboratory animal science professionals at three levels: assistant laboratory animal technician (ALAT), laboratory animal technician (LAT), and laboratory animal technologist (LATG). The Institute for Laboratory Animal Management (ILAM) is a program designed to provide state-of-the-art training in laboratory animal facility management. Local groups have also organized into smaller branches.
