The NCSU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is comprised of seventeen voting members, including ten faculty, five non-faculty professionals, and two individuals not affiliated with the University. Every member is essential to the operation of our diverse Animal Care and Use Program. However, there are four key personnel who operate as the University’s IACUC Administrative Team.
After beginning her NCSU employment in the Dean’s office at the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1988, Judy Lassiter transferred to the position of Administrative Assistant to the IACUC in 1994. Over the years, her position within the IACUC has evolved from Administrative Assistant to Administrative Officer, and now to Regulatory Compliance Administrator. Judy is a voting, non-scientist member of the IACUC, and also serves as Vice Chair. She is a Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA), having completed the requirements necessary to obtain that certification through the Council for Certified Professional IACUC Administrators, which operates under the auspices of Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R). Judy is usually the first point of contact for investigators submitting applications for vertebrate animal use (AVAU or protocol), and coordinates protocol (AVAU) pre-review. She has 20 years combined experience in office management, research grant editing, IACUC management and animal welfare regulatory compliance, including animal use protocol review and animal facility inspection. Judy reports directly to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Sponsored Programs and Regulatory Compliance, Matt Ronning.
Paula DeLong began her employment with NCSU at the College of Veterinary Medicine as an Animal Care Technician. She soon advanced to Animal Care Supervisor, and then to Assistant Animal Facility Manager. She joined the IACUC team in 2007 as Compliance and Training Coordinator. Paula is certified through the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) as a Registered Laboratory Animal Technologist. She serves as a voting member of the IACUC, tracks protocol (Application for Vertebrate Animal Use; AVAU) review, and as a resource for animal facility managers, animal care staff, research staff and investigators seeking information regarding animal housing area inspections and training for animal care staff. Paula coordinates semiannual facility inspections and annual protocol renewal review. She has nineteen years combined experience in laboratory animal facility management and animal welfare regulatory compliance. Paula reports directly to the IACUC Regulatory Compliance Administrator, Judy Lassiter.
Dr. Stephen (Steve) Dempsey has over 33 years experience as a veterinarian with a varied background, including private practice (mixed, small and exotic/zoo animals), and veterinary pathology, toxicology, and laboratory animal medicine in contract research organizations, pharmaceutical and chemical companies as well as academia. He has served in his current role at NCSU and been a voting member of the IACUC for over 4 years. Steve performs the majority of veterinary reviews for protocols and amendments and participates in almost all IACUC semi-annual facility inspections. While Steve focuses on investigator support, his role as the University Attending Veterinarian requires that he oversee regulatory compliance pertaining to the use of animals in research, teaching, testing and extension with all applicable Federal, State, and local regulations and mandates, as well as those of the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) for investigators with NIH/PHS funding, professional standards promulgated by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC, International), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS), the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), and the NCSU policies and procedures. He prefers a proactive and supportive approach to compliance, and is always available for consultation or discussion with investigators, faculty, staff and students. Dr. Dempsey reports directly to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Sponsored Programs and Regulatory Compliance, Matt Ronning.
Dr. Fleisher has thirty-two years of experience in biomedical research, including twenty-seven years as faculty at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine. He has served as a voting member of the NCSU IACUC since 2002, including four years as Vice Chair and four years as Chair. He participates in AVAU (protocol) pre-review, provides final protocol review and approval after protocols are reviewed by the IACUC, directs all convened meetings of the committee and initiates investigations of animal use protocol noncompliance. Dr. Fleisher also participates in animal facility inspections whenever possible. In his role as Chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Dr. Fleisher reports to the University’s Institutional Official, Dr. Terri L. Lomax, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies.