The University of Lethbridge is proud to recognize the Animal Care Services Team with the President's Award for Service Excellence.

Animal Care Services Team

The Animal Care Services (ACS) team often goes unnoticed in their support of groundbreaking research that has positioned the University of Lethbridge as one of Canada’s leading research institutions.

ACS is responsible for maintaining a gold standard for animal welfare and care  for the more than 5,000 research and teaching animals per year housed in the new Rodent Research Vivarium in Science Commons, the Aquatic Research Facility in the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building and Biological Sciences Laboratory in Science Commons.

Staff in all facilities are experts in their fields, holding higher education degrees in aquatic research or specific registered laboratory animal technician training, and dedicate their professional lives to the animals they care for.

In addition to safeguarding the welfare of animals and ensuring the highest ethical standards are upheld, the ACS team also trains undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and visiting scholars in the animal handling and biomethodology training related to their research.

When COVID-19 struck, the ACS team became essential workers – a fitting title for this team which continued to come to campus to care for the animals. Due to the urgent and full-time nature of animal care, the ACS team provides uninterrupted training and support to our animal research community, seven days a week, 365 days a year on-call or in-person, regardless of the time of day. This team shows immeasurable resilience, commitment and strength, going above and beyond to ensure research continues at full capacity. ACS had two Canadian Council on Animal Care assessment visits during this already stressful time and received high commendations on their exceptional work.

The ACS team is defined not only by their incredible knowledge and support of students and researchers, but their utmost compassion and respect for animals and dedication to the advancement of research at the U of L.

The Animal Care Services Team includes:

Isabelle Gauthier, University Veterinarian/Director, Animal Care Services
Karen Dow-Cazal, Rodent Research Facility Coordinator
Moira Holley, PAM & Rodent Training Coordinator
James Cazal (BSc ’15), Rodent Colony Management Technician
Carla Navratil, Rodent Animal Care Attendant
Erin Falkenberg (BSc ’06), Rodent Animal Care Attendant
Holly Shepherd, Aquatic Research Facility Coordinator
Shamsuddin Mamun, Aquatic Research Facility Technician
Molly Tilley (BSc ’19), Weekend Aquatic Research Facility Technician
Eric Stock (BSc ’12), Weekend Aquatic Research Facility Technician and Previous Interim Aquatic Research Facility Coordinator
Lauren Zink, Weekend Aquatic Research Facility and assists with Biological Sciences Facility