Northwestern University
Office for Research


The Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) is the centrally administered animal resource that acts as the service and teaching unit supporting all animal use in research, testing, and education at Northwestern University. Animals used in biomedical research at Northwestern University are housed either in CCM facilities or in facilities administered by academic departments for which CCM provides the primary care and oversight. CCM has been AAALAC (Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International) Accredited since 1985 and a member of AALAS (American Association for Laboratory Animal Science) since 1962.

AAALAC Site Visit June 2008

 
The Center for Comparative Medicine will be hosting:
Colony Management: Principles and Practices
September 8th-10th, 2008, Kellogg Conference Center
Presented by The Jackson Laboratory
CCM Business Office
News and Announcements
Animal Orders

CCM periodically contacts Principal Investigators and their staff with important announcements via email. If you would like to receive these messages, please contact acuc@northwestern.edu.

Archived Announcements are available to those currently listed on an active protocol as well as CCM and ACUC staff.


The animal procurement fee continues to be held to $20.00 per order.

FY08 Per Diem and Surgical Rates


Billing FAQ's
Protocol Bill Reference List
Understanding your Protocol Bill
New/Revised Animal Housing Types

Form for Animal Procurement

Forms are now available under the FORMS tab at the top of the page!

Remember to send the completed form to:
ccm@northwestern.edu


Non-Animal Orders: investigators and their staff can drop off their order forms at the Lurie Basement Main Office B-127. Filled orders will now only be available at the Lurie Main Office (Lurie Basement 127).

Let Us Know Who YOU Are
Report Animal Welfare Concerns
If you are new to the lab, or NU, or if you have changed contact email or phone number, please contact OPRS at acuc@northwestern.edu.

Department financial staff and research administrators should also register with OPRS. They can provide you with information on charges placed to awards you oversee.

If you see or suspect any mistreatment of research animals at CCM you should report it immediately. Contact our Director, or submit an anonymous report by following these instructions. (a PDF document)

Contact the CAR Committee
Training Classes
If you have any concerns about CCM, feel free to contact our oversight committee. Visit the website for more details. New training and refresher courses are always available. Persons who work with nonhuman primates, biohazards, or in barrier environments must receive hands-on training from the Center for Comparative Medicine training staff. Contact CCM at 312-503-2758 or 312-908-8257 for training.
Online Training Available
New investigators and their staff, or current investigators and staff working with new animal species must complete core and species specific courses in order to work with animals and gain access to the facility.

All online training is now accessed through the AALAS Learning Library. In order to use the library you must first be assigned an account. To obtain your account and log-in,

Information Research staff should contact:

Bruce Roberts, OPRS-ACUC at 312-503-9339 or via email b-roberts@northwestern.edu

CCM staff should contact:

Sue Kallay, Quality Assurance and Training Dept.

at 312-503-1560 or via email s-kallay@northwestern.edu
Post Approval Monitoring Program

The goal of the post approval monitoring process at Northwestern is to review active protocols to ensure research is  being conducted in accordance with what is written and approved. The protocols are selected randomly or as a result of a request by veterinary staff, care staff or lab personnel. The laboratory is visited by the Pam Program Administrator often with an accompanying veterinarian. Procedures on the selected protocol are observed and any drift away from the protocol is noted. The investigator then has the opportunity to correct any deviations by improving techniques or by submitting an amendment to the protocol. The visit is as informal as possible and It is also an opportunity for the investigators to request any help they may need from CCM.  Findings are reported at the next ACUC meeting. The report of the visit and any follow up visits are filed in the investigators ACUC protocol file. The laboratories receive a brief follow up visit 2-4 months after the first to document that any deficiencies highlighted in the first visit have been rectified.   

Any questions or concerns regarding the PAM Program should be addressed to:

Susan Kallay

PAM Program Administrator at:

312-503-1560 or,  pam-program@northwestern.edu
Post Approval Monitoring Documents
PAM Documents (older version)
PAM Documents (newer version, compatible w/Macintosh)
PAM Program

Aseptic Technique Training Course

 Occupational Health Program
This course was developed by the Animal Health and Care Section of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It is available for viewing using Quicktime or Windows Media Player. Allergies are a big risk in our area. As part of becoming an authorized user of the CCM Facilities, you need to visit the NU Corporate Health Center in the Galter Pavillion of NMH and take part in a health screening examination by a licensed physician. There is no cost for this mandatory activity. More Information is available on our New Researcher page and also on the Policy and Guidelines page.
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