By Frankie Trull on 9/24/2009 10:10 AM

This month marks NABR’s 30th birthday. Having been here since the very beginning, it’s almost unfathomable to me that I’ve been representing this issue for three decades and that the research community still must fight the good fight. NABR was founded as the voice of humane and responsible animal research because there was a growing number of ‘animal welfarists’ criticizing the conduct of research generally, and laboratory animal medicine specifically. The accusations in those days focused on laboratory animal veterinarians and the quality of care they provided the animals. In response, a small but committed number of scientists, veterinarians, and administrators joined together to establish an organization dedicated to communicating with legislators and regulators about the care and use of animals in research. It’s interesting, and perhaps amusing in retrospect, to note the common belief then was that activist campaigns ebbed and flowed and in a few years the criticism would die down. How wrong that observation proved to be. Instead, PETA was founded. The Silver Spring Monkey case became a cause célèbre, prompting Congress to hold its first hearing on the use of animals in research, and the rest, as they say, is history.

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By Frankie Trull on 3/16/2009 3:23 PM

I was doing my typical Saturday morning errand-running and as I entered Costco, a man I didn’t recognize stopped me and asked me if I was Frankie Trull.  As you might expect, in my line of work, I’m never sure if I should answer that question, but he looked friendly, so I cautiously answered in the affirmative.  He gave me a big smile and said, “I really loved Jen’s Story”.  He went on to say, and I’m paraphrasing, ‘this reminds all of us in biomedical research why we do what we do.  We’re going to use this piece in our training programs for all employees.’  What a nice Saturday that turned out to be.  It’s clear from the more than 8,500 hits we’ve had to the FBR site in the few days Jen’s Story has been available,  the research community is hungry for this type of communications message.

While NABR members may not necessarily see the connection between...

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By Frankie Trull on 2/13/2009 6:16 PM

I note with some interest recent articles from the UK strongly recommending the US follow their lead in addressing animal rights activism, implying the US has lagged behind in preparing for animal extremist attacks.  I beg to differ.  In my opinion, the UK tolerated bad behavior for far too long... In the US, on the other hand, as early as 1992, Congress passed the Animal Enterprise Protection Act to give federal law enforcement more tools to apprehend and prosecute those who wanted to stop research by breaking into research or agriculture facilities.  But in my view, the US has been well served by avoiding many of the actions, or non-actions, taken in the UK…

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By Frankie Trull on 1/26/2009 9:25 AM

The doomsday prognosticators, who are assured of a paying clientele by finding a gremlin under every rock, have been out in force since President Obama began filling his key Administration posts.  By the number of emails and phone calls we have received on several of these, I am glad to see NABR members are taking a keen interest in the political process and appreciate how these appointments can affect the immediate and long-term future of biomedical research generally and animal research specifically.

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By Frankie Trull on 1/16/2009 3:44 PM

First of all, happy New Year!  NABR celebrates its 30th birthday in 2009, so we expect this will be an especially exciting year for all of us.  And before you ask, NO, we’re not having a gala this year!  

This has been a very busy week in Washington, but it will pale in comparison to next week’s historic inauguration of the 44th president.  It is expected the celebration in our fair city will be of epic proportions.  Due to the strategic location of our offices, across the park from the White House, our whole block will be closed down Monday and Tuesday, but we will still be working remotely.  President-Elect Obama wasted no time naming Cabinet appointments and confirmation hearings have been underway since Congress returned to Capitol Hill last week.  NABR members are likely most interested in USDA and HHS appointments.  As you may know, former governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, has been nominated as Secretary of Agriculture.  Governor Vilsack did very well in his confirmation hearings earlier this week and...

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By Frankie Trull on 11/24/2008 6:52 PM

By popular request, NABR is pleased to introduce a new feature, and our first entry into the blogosphere, which we have simply dubbed “Ask Frankie”.  This blog will be timely, topical, sometimes controversial, but most importantly, interactive.  We welcome and encourage comments, opinions, and yes, constructive criticism.  We represent a very important issue, but in order to maintain our equilibrium, a little humor is good, too.  In addition, if there are any questions or issues that you’d like to see discussed in future blogs, don’t hesitate to let me know.

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