Observe Biomedical Research Awareness Day on April 19

Veterinarians play a key role in ensuring the health and welfare of all animals – including those used in research settings. On Thursday, April 19, we’ll join researchers across the nation in celebrating Biomedical Research Awareness Day (BRAD) to honor, raise awareness of, and pledge support for research animals and the veterinary teams that care for them.

Biomedical research using animals has been instrumental in scientific discovery, enabling significant medical advances that benefit both animals and people. Veterinarians who work in this field help ensure that laboratory animals are treated humanely and receive high-quality medical care.

Biomedical Research Awareness Day aims to raise public awareness of the vital role animals play in developing medical treatments and cures, and promote the compassionate care of animals used in research. It also serves to highlight the many rewarding career opportunities for veterinarians in the fields of laboratory animal medicine and biomedical research.

To help you bring Biomedical Research Awareness Day to your school, hospital or other organization, the event’s organizer, Americans for Medical Progress, provides a toolkit with resources and ready-to-use materials. These include:

• Advertising tips and planning checklists
• Informational handouts, posters and promotional freebies
• Interactive activities
• Tips for hosting a special lecture or facility tour

The importance of animal research

The AVMA supports the responsible use of animal models in biomedical research, and we collaborate with government agencies and other organizations to ensure that the welfare of research animals is protected. One example is our partnership with the Foundation for Biomedical Research in its Love Animals? Support Animal Research campaign, which helps the public better understand the goals, benefits and regulation of research that uses animal models. We also continue to encourage the development and use of alternative methods whenever possible, including computer simulations and lab-grown tissue.

Want to learn more? Find out about the importance of biomedical research, review AVMA policy related to biomedical research (including policy specific to the use of animals in biomedical research), and discover some novel ways that veterinarians have positively impacted the lives of animals used for research.