24 June, 2021 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CDT
FREE for MABioN members, $10 for non-members!
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MABioN is proud to offer a webinar discussing
Biosafety challenges in the operation of a gnotobiotic animal facility
This presentation is intended to cover some of the basic techniques of biocontainment and bio-exclusion utilized while performing gnotobiotic facility operations. Included will be discussion on some of the challenges that programs may face in assessing biohazard risks, operational considerations informing best practices, and balancing gnotobiotic research and programmatic needs within an academic institution.
Presented By: Betty Theriault, DVM, DACLAM
University of Chicago Professor of Surgery Director, Gnotobiotic Research Animal Facility
Dr. Theriault received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis; completed a small animal medicine and surgery internship at The University of Pennsylvania and is a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.
She is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience working with animals in a variety of settings and across a broad spectrum of species. She joined The University of Chicago’s animal care program in 2005, and in 2006 embarked upon developing the university’s Gnotobiotic Research Animal Facility (GRAF), which has experienced 15 years of steady growth and success and is a leading program within the field. Her work focuses on assisting researchers in developing animal models of human disease and adapting technologies to unique applications. In addition to her expertise in gnotobiotics, Dr. Theriault has administrative and clinical experience across the full range of the university’s animal care program including service on the IACUC, IBC, Select Agent IBC, and clinical involvement at times during her appointment with all the species maintained on campus. Since 2015, she has assumed responsibility for veterinary oversight of the Howard T. Ricketts Laboratory, an ABSL3, select agent-registered Regional Biocontainment Laboratory located on the campus of Argonne National Laboratory.
Dr. Theriault utilizes experience gained in her administrative, clinical, and operational roles to assist in bridging biocontainment practices utilized in infectious disease animal models with the exquisite demand of bio-exclusion applications required for germ free and ex-germ free, gnotobiotic mouse models. She has presented lectures on topics of gnotobiology and has led workshops on gnotobiology practices at scientific meetings locally, nationally, and internationally. She has presented at national scientific meetings on the challenges faced in conducting bio-exclusion studies while maintaining biocontainment protocols.
