Veterinarians at the core of animal research: reflections from EARA Webinar

EARA’s second webinar, “The Role of Veterinarians in Animal Research”, held on 27 January 2026 for almost 800 live participants, brought together veterinarians from Europe and North America to explore the central role veterinarians play in animal welfare, scientific quality and public trust.  

Across presentations and discussions, speakers highlighted that veterinarians operate at the intersection of ethics, care, regulation and research — a position that is essential yet often invisible to the public. 

Opening the webinar, EARA Deputy Director Nuno Miguel Gonçalves framed the discussion by describing veterinarians as “an unsung hero of [biomedical] research”, emphasising that their work supports both animal welfare and reliable science. 

The keynote speaker, Lucie Côté (McGill University Health Centre, Canada), began by outlining the scope of laboratory animal medicine in Canada, where veterinarians are involved in ethical review, clinical care, facility design and regulatory oversight. Reflecting on her personal motivation, Lucieexplained that this field allows her to contribute to, “advancing research and offer a chance for people to live longer and healthier lives”. 

From the UK, Ngaire Dennison (University of Dundee) focused on rodents, which account for the majority of animals used in research. She described how veterinary-led refinement improves both welfare and data quality, noting that, “even small improvements can add up to a big difference”. 

Addressing public concerns around dogs used in research, Valérie Cuvilliez (Marshall BioResources, France) spoke about the veterinarian’s role in regulated breeding and lifelong care. She stressed that accountability extends beyond animal facilities, stating that, “it is our collective responsibility to inform the public about the key role they play in research and about the respect and care they receive within our facilities.” 

From the perspective of non-human primate research, Merel Wegman (Biomedical Primate Research Centre, the Netherlands) described veterinary oversight centred on group housing, behavioural monitoring and refinement. She clearly defined veterinary priorities, explaining that, “[vets] are not [in research centres] for the research results — we are there for the animal welfare”. 

Highlighting an often-overlooked area, Helena Paradell (Zoetis, Spain) discussed veterinary research conducted for animals themselves, noting that “nearly 10% of animals used in research are used for animal welfare itself”, including work on nutrition, welfare and animal diseases. 

Closing the speaker presentations, Michael McKinney (Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA) presented data on veterinary education and animal research awareness, revealing that “only [a very small percentage] of students were fully aware of laboratory animal medicine”. 

The panel discussion further explored these perspectives to address systemic challenges facing animal research and welfare. On new-approach methodologies (NAMs) that do not rely on animals and the risk of policy pressure outpacing evidence, McKinney cautioned that expectations must remain grounded in science, warning that “we have to be very careful that this doesn’t accelerate past the science”, counteracting current political pressures to prematurely end animal research.  

The conversation then turned to the time and rigour required for scientific validation and regulatory acceptance of NAMs, with Dennison emphasising that progress cannot be rushed, and that “validation takes time”. On public debate and misinformation, Dennison returned to the importance of accuracy, concluding that “people are welcome to their own opinions, but they need to base those on information which is correct”.  

The panel also discussed transparency and openness, veterinary authority in ethical decision-making and veterinarian workforce sustainability and university training pathways.  

The webinar closed with a shared message across speakers and panellists: veterinarians are not secondary to animal research, but fundamental to its ethical governance, scientific robustness and public accountability. By bringing these voices together, EARA’s webinar underscored the need to make the veterinary role more visible — within science, policy and public dialogue alike. 

This was the second session of the EARA Webinar series, following a session focused on patient engagement. The third session will be held in April 2026.  

An edited recording of the webinar is available on EARA’s YouTube channel.