Improving Openness and Animal Research in Israel – Free event, Tuesday 13 April, 11:00-13:30 IDT
The European Animal Research Association (EARA) and Inter-University Forum for Biomedical Research Israel (IUF) with the support of FENS and the Society for Neuroscience, invite you to discuss how to improve openness in communications about animal research with the general public, political decision makers, and opinion formers in Israel.
This workshop is offered to those working in the life sciences sector and is designed to support researchers, communications staff and institutions that wish to be more open about the animal research they carry out. The focal theme of the workshop is to discuss why scientists, researchers, press officers and other stakeholders can and should talk about animal research; it is not a debate about the ethics of animal experimentation.
Openness in the public debate on animal research has been increasing in many European countries and research institutions. However, there is still significant reluctance within many academic institutions, and amongst scientists, towards conducting a more open and consistent dialogue with the public. Many scientists are still afraid that speaking more openly about their research and their motivations will make them targets, while others lack the confidence to put the case for animal research to what they view as a sceptical public and a potentially hostile media.
The discussion is relevant for members of institutions that are involved in animal research - directly or indirectly - and are currently hesitant to speak out in the media or to participate in public engagement activities. We hope that this workshop, and those hosted by EARA in other countries, will help to kickstart a cultural change and support research institutions to handle this issue constructively.
Register for free here.
MODERATOR:
Professor John Finberg, Technion University
Professor Finberg received his B.Pharm and Ph.D. degrees from London University and emigrated to Israel in 1970. Following a period of research in environmental physiology and a 2-year post-doc at Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, NJ, USA, he joined the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Medicine in 1978 as Senior Lecturer rising to Full Professor. His research interests include the effect of antidepressant drugs on the metabolism and release of the biogenic amines noradrenaline and serotonin (5-HT) in the CNS of rats.
SPEAKERS:
Kirk Leech, Executive Director, European Animal Research Association (EARA)
EARA is a communications and advocacy organisation whose mission is to uphold the interests of biomedical, and other life sciences, research and healthcare development across Europe. Previously Kirk worked for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and Understanding Animal Research, the UK’s leading advocacy group on the use of animals in medical research.
Professor Hagai Bergman, The Hebrew University
Professor Bergman earned an M.D. and D.Sc. from the Technion, Haifa, Israel in 1984. Following post-doctorate fellowships at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1984-1987 under Moshe Abeles) and at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, USA (1987-1990 under Mahlon DeLong) he started his own research group in the Department of Physiology of the Hebrew University – Hadassah Medical School. His research team is investigating the computational physiology of the basal ganglia and of their disorders and therapy in non-human primates and human patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedures.
Dr. Andreas Lengeling, Animal Research & Welfare Officer, Max-Planck-Society
Dr Lengeling is animal research and animal welfare officer of the Max-Planck Society. His role involves the support of all Max-Planck Institutes that carry out animal research in the Society. He is responsible for developing and implementing programs for 4R animal research, ethics curricula, and regulatory requirements. Andreas has studied Biology at the University of Bielefeld where he has obtained a PhD in Genetics. After postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA) and the Helmholtz Centre in Munich (Germany), he has held research group leader and faculty positions at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (Braunschweig, Germany) and the Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (Edinburgh, UK).