Surgery Training

The IACUC requires appropriate training and a proficiency assessment for all researchers performing survival surgery on any vertebrate animal. The required training includes a surgery course provided by DAR that must be completed prior to IACUC approval.

Surgery course attendance can be scheduled by registering in ELMS. Please choose the course that is appropriate for the species you will be working with (“DAR SOM Aseptic Survival Surgery with Rodents, Birds, or Aquatics”, or “DAR SOM Aseptic Survival Surgery with Pigs, Sheep, or Rabbits”). If you will be working with species from both groups, you are required to attend both courses.To sign up for “DAR SOM Aseptic Survival Surgery with Rodents, Birds, or Aquatics,” please enroll via ELMS (elmprod9.emory.edu) using course code 265020. For details on how to register, please see the link on Registering for DAR Training Courses.

NOTE: As of 4/26/19, the “DAR SOM Aseptic Survival Surgery with Pigs, Sheep, or Rabbits” course is not yet available through ELMS. Please contact dartrn@emory.edu to schedule this class.

The proficiency assessment can be completed after IACUC approval of the protocol, and needs to be scheduled within one month of starting surgeries. For the proficiency assessment, a member of the DAR veterinary staff will observe part of a surgical procedure. An assessment must done for each person on the protocol who performs surgery. You can schedule a proficiency assessment by contacting the DAR veterinarian responsible for the assessments, Dr. Shraddha Cantara (shraddha.cantara@emory.edu).