Dr. Cheryl Murphy is the Director of Research Integrity at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dr. Murphy is very soft spoken and kind. Her office is tidy and organized with her college degree and pictures of children and birds on the wall. There are tons of books on the shelves behind her. Her office and the interview show that she values family and protection of animals. When she explains details about her job and responsibilities, it’s obvious why her organized, calm and detailed personality makes her very qualified for her position.
As director of research, Dr. Murphy is a member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of UTC. She explains that the Committee oversees the use of animals and provides an overview of animal research within the University. Her job is to review research proposals submitted to the Committee and make sure that the research is conducted “in an ethical manner.” She also confirms that the research and people conducting the research are abiding by federal and state policies and regulations.
Animal research in the United States is handled by the Food and Drug Administration. Research shows that there are many laws and regulations for animal research and testing in the United States. They include the Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Act regulations, the Public Health Service Policy of Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. An article from the FDA “advocates that research and testing results in the maximum amount of useful scientific information and the minimum number of animals while using the most humane and scientifically valid methods available” ("Facts about”). Dr. Murphy's job is to make sure that any research at the University meets all of these requirements. To prepare for the job, Dr. Murphy studied and found all the information she could about animal research. She learned all the state and federal laws and regulations on the topic.
When asked what information someone who submits a proposal has to provide so that she can review to decide whether a proposal should be approved or not, Dr. Murphy's response shows that she and the Committee are very focused on their mission of protecting animals, but also allowing necessary research to be done. She needs to know the person's qualifications and they have to explain what question the researcher will try to answer, why the question is important to the world, and what additional information people will get based on the research. She also wants to know if there is already a lot of information out there about the research question and, if so, why the testing needs to be done again. Dr. Murphy also wants to know the species of animal and how many will be used in the research. She states that she wants them “to use as few animals as possible.” The researcher has to show “the benefit to society and improving human and animal health,” Dr. Murphy says. In addition, the researcher needs to show that there is no other way to get the information without use of animal testing. She also needs to know how much pain or distress the animal will have, how they will monitor the health and well-being of the animal, and plan for rehabilitation and removing the animal from the study. If the proposal meets all the requirements, the Committee will approve the project.
This Committee is also responsible for looking into any reports of bad research that is taking place. Dr. Murphy says that it is rare to receive a report of bad research, but if they receive one, they contact the person to get evidence from them to support their observation. They collect all the data to see if the allegation is supported or not. If the report of bad research is supported, they take action to try to correct it.
The bigger societal issue on animal research and testing is whether it should be allowed at all. According to a 2023 article, Britannica ProCon says, “Animals are used to develop medical treatments, determine the toxicity of medications, check the safety of products destined for human use, and other biomedical, commercial and Healthcare uses” (“Should Animals”). There are pros and cons of animal testing. The main pros are that animal testing can lead to life-saving cures for both humans and animals, using animals for testing is appropriate because they are very similar to human beings, and laws and regulations in place make sure the animals are protected and not mistreated. The cons are that animal testing is cruel and harmful to the animals, testing on animals does not really give results that are good for human beings, and with today's technology there are other effective ways of testing that do not require use of animals.
Research institutions like Stanford Medicine argue that “the use of animals in some forms of biomedical research remains essential to the discovery of the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of disease and suffering in humans and animals” (“Why Animal”). But Stanford states the animals must be treated well or the science produced by the research will not be trustworthy and cannot be duplicated, which is required under the scientific method. On the other side of the issue, the Humane Society of the United States opposes animal research and reports that many types of animals are not included in the protections provided by the laws. The Humane Society “advocates for the immediate replacement of animal experience with available non animal methods” (“Using animals”).
Animal research and testing is a hot topic for many people and both sides are passionate about their position. Based on my interview and research, it appears that Dr. Murphy and the Committee are doing all they can to make sure that, as long as animal research is being done, people are doing the research according to the laws and with as little harm to animals as possible. At the end of the interview, Dr. Murphy states that “everyone on the Committee is there to protect the animals; they look at themselves as the voice of the animals.” It is good to know that there are people like Dr. Murphy who devote their career to speaking on behalf of the animals.
Works Cited
“Facts about FDA and Animal Welfare, Testing & Research.” FDA, 8 May 2024, https://www.fda.gov/news-events/rumor-control/facts-about-fda-and-animal-welfare-testing-research. Accessed 19 November 2024.
Murphy, Cheryl. Personal Interview. 11 November 2024.
“Should Animals Be Used for Scientific or Commercial Testing?” Animal Testing | Pros & Cons, 10 May 2023, https://animal-testing.procon.org/. Accessed 19 November 2024.
“Using animals in experiments.” The Humane Society of the United States, https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/animals-used-experiments-faq. Accessed 19 November 2024.
“Why Animal Research? | Animal Research at Stanford | Stanford Medicine.” Stanford Medicine, https://med.stanford.edu/animalresearch/why-animal-research.html. Accessed 19 November 2024.
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