Abstract
Postgraduate programmes offering both practical and theoretical training in laboratory animal science and medicine are yet to be developed in India to groom specialists in the field. I wanted training in cutting-edge techniques associated with health and genetic monitoring of laboratory animals, barrier-breeding and maintenance, surgery and anaesthesia, animal models, laws and regulations, welfare and ethics plus all the other key areas relating to laboratory animal science. In 2010, I was dreaming of joining the Master of Laboratory Animal Science (the then FELASA category-D) programme offered by the University of Copenhagen, Denmark – since it was a wonderful course not only offering state of art technology and a rich syllabus but also enabling blended-learning without disrupting the working lives of candidates; we could plan our travel to Copenhagen for practical sessions but the theory and the discussions were imparted as streaming or live videos using an online platform. However, tuition fees and travelling expenses were quite high and much demanding for candidates from outside the European Union, and above all, an extra non-european fee adding weight to the financial burden. When considering these things, I was lucky to have directed to the Laboratory Animals Limited (LAL) booth at the FELASA Congress (Helsinki, 2010) by my mentor, Professor Axel Kornerup Hansen, and I applied for a competitive LAL bursary that supported me with €5000 so I could undertake the course. This initial funding was the help I needed and without which I would not have dared to pursue the course at all.
LAL is always keen to support people like me with the idea of ‘train the trainer’ and so, thanks to their generosity, this is what I did. After the completion of the FELASA Category D Master’s from Copenhagen, I offered my new technical and scientific expertise in the setting up and teaching of a FELASA accredited functions a, b, c and d course at the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. And I am proud to say that this course became the only one accredited by FELASA outside of the EU, anywhere on the globe at that time, way back in 2013. Furthermore, I am also disseminating the expertise gained at Copenhagen by travelling across India in order to teach and train students in good laboratory animal practice. For example, at my home institution (Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology ), I have upgraded the modules and curriculum of our bi-annual training course offered to PhD and post-graduate students and budding veterinarians.
Currently, I am a final year PhD scholar at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, trying to build bridges with the scientific community of the developed world by fully capitalising on that initial guidance, mentoring and funding I received. The funding from LAL has turned out to reach beyond the barriers of continents and is making a deep impact on the improvement of animal care and welfare standards in my home country. It is my sincere view that the improved Culture of Care our animals in India are now receiving is, in good measure, a result of the education I received in Europe and LAL has played a huge role in that.
