Abstract
Every three years at its congress, FELASA recognises with its Award a significant contribution towards laboratory animal science through publications and engagement that could lead or has led to changes or improvements into how animals are utilized in research, testing or education that is consistent with FELASA’s aims and objectives. The FELASA Award is supported very time by a different sponsor who shares the idea and endorses the objectives of FELASA. Many thanks go to PLEXX for sponsoring the FELASA Award 2016 and for the commitment to support Laboratory Animal Sciences and welfare of animals.
Dr Bryan Howard is the FELASA Award winner 2016
The Award Panel recognises the outstanding achievements of Dr Bryan Howard within the field of laboratory animal science and his extraordinary dedication to the well-being of animals used in research.
Dr Bryan Howard started his career as a physiologist after qualifying as a veterinary surgeon at the University of Glasgow in 1961 and completing his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in 1966. Initially he was working overseas before returning to the UK in 1985. He was then appointed Director of Animal Welfare at the University of Sheffield. His responsibilities there involved optimising the welfare of animals kept and used for experimental purposes and, wherever possible, introducing techniques to avoid their use.
At Sheffield, he oversaw the operation of the Ethical Review Process and offered technical advice and veterinary services to those preparing or conducting programmes of animal-based research. In 1988, he established the “Antibody Resource Centre” and induced the university to adopt the use of tissue culture techniques for the preparation of monoclonal antibodies, thereby avoiding the use of mice for this purpose. This was the first such university-based facility in the UK, and it is still in operation under the name of Sheffield Hybridomas.
Dr Bryan Howard joined the Laboratory Animal Veterinary Association and the Laboratory Animal Science Association (LASA) shortly after taking up his position at Sheffield. He then joined LASA Council and became Meeting Secretary. As such he was responsible for the very memorable FELASA meeting at Brighton in 1993! Subsequently, he served as LASA Secretary and, finally, President. During his time at LASA, he established and chaired a section devoted to addressing alternatives to the use of animals. This continues as the LASA Care and Welfare Section.
He was active at different levels in many other organisations and initiatives in that field, among them the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME) and The National Centre for the 3 Rs (NC3Rs). He was also instrumental in establishing training schools in Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis of Biomedical Experiment, which are still regularly held in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
In 1998, he received the Charles River Award for contributions to laboratory animal science and welfare in the UK, followed by the LASA Award for services to laboratory animal welfare and science in 2007.
From 2004 to 2009, Dr Bryan Howard represented the UK on the Management Committee of COST (an initiative for European Cooperation in Scientific and Technical Research) Action B24, which was established to increase knowledge and awareness of the scientific use of laboratory animals within the context of the 3Rs as well as to promote high quality research. Chairs of this action were Timo Nevalainen and Gemma Perretta, both former FELASA Presidents. He was the lead editor of a publication this action produced: “The COST Manual of Laboratory Animal Care and Use: Refinement, Reduction, and Research.”
There are many further activities in education and training Dr Bryan Howard was involved in, of which only a few are mentioned below:
At the University of Sheffield, he introduced mandatory training for all scientists who apply to carry out experimental work on animals. This was the first initiative at a UK University that required all scientists to attend a course (and successfully complete an assessment) before commencing research with live animals.
He also worked with Dr Ian Hughes of Leeds University to establish the Universities Accreditation Scheme, one of three schemes currently approved by the home office to oversee standards of training in the UK. This scheme comprised a quality assurance (QA) Group responsible for overseeing policy and standards, and a training group, responsible for the administration of training and examinations. Over the coming years, he chaired each of these groups. During the development of the schemes he was active within LASA in arranging workshops (such as “options for training” and “training the trainers”) to assist other establishments in setting up appropriate training programmes.
In 2002, Dr Bryan Howard was invited to become a member of the newly established FELASA Education and Training working group (now Accreditation Board for Education and Training), from which he retired in 2013. This group established a scheme for accrediting education and training programmes, based on FELASA recommendations, and prompted revisions of those recommendations when deemed necessary.
Although his primary interest is the enhancement of laboratory animal welfare by ensuring that those engaged in their care and use are competent and aware of their responsibilities, he is also concerned to ensure that the animals are cared for and treated with full consideration of their well-being. Apart from a number of initiatives whilst he was on LASA Council, he served on the Council of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, and was Chairman between 2005 and 2008; he was subsequently elected as a vice president.
In 2004, he joined the newly established European Council of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), which gave him the opportunity to visit miscellaneous animal facilities, and to directly influence the standards of animal care and use.
His numerous contributions in the field of laboratory animal science are reflected by a long list of reports and publications.
Dr Bryan Howard received the FELASA Award 2016, an inscribed plaque and a prize of € 2,000, at a platform session during the FELASA 2016 Congress, 13 - 16 June in Brussels, Belgium. The title of his award lecture was “Education, training and learning – some personal reflections”.
FELASA congratulates Dr Bryan Howard on this major European Award for Laboratory Animal Science and thanks him for his outstanding achievements in this field and his extraordinary dedication to the well-being of animals used in research.