Required Trainings
Animal Care and Use Program
Western Washington University's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval is required prior to conducting research or instruction using live vertebrate animals by any faculty, staff, or student (this includes adding personnel to a protocol). WWU policies for research with animal subjects are guided by federal regulations.
Animal welfare and protections training documentation must be on file prior to any interaction or intervention with live vertebrate animals in research or teaching settings. Additional laboratory specific training may also be required.
NOTE: If your project is federally funded research, you might also be required to complete Responsible Conduct of Research training.
Reminder! New protocol submissions and personnel modifications must include the appropriate CITI training completion certificate(s) to be processed for review.
Required CITI Course(s)
Western Washington University (WWU) has partnered the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) to provide a free online regulatory training course in animal protections.
- The course we accept is called the "Working with the IACUC" which will appear as “Investigators, Staff and Students."
- Modules that apply to your research must also be completed. For example, if your research involves mice, you are also required to complete the “Working with Mice in Research” course.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Principal Investigators (PIs)
- Any individual named on the Animal Care and Use Protocol
- Any person working in the vivarium or labs containing animals (this includes Student Research Assistants)
Western Washington University (WWU) has partnered the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) to provide a free online regulatory training course in animal protections.
The course we accept is called the "Working with the IACUC" which will appear as “Investigators, Staff and Students." Optional modules that apply to your research must also be completed. For example, if your research involves mice, please also take the “Working with Mice in Research” module.
If you have completed this training with another institution, affiliate your profile with WWU to document it.
Refer to our How to Register for CITI Trainings Instructions.
The steps on the How to Register for CITI Trainings page will assist you if you have mistakenly chosen the wrong institution, your institution has changed, or you have an affiliation with more than one institution and need to transfer module completion credit.
If you would like to receive credit for modules previously taken, the certain requirements must be met.
Refer to instructions on the How to Access CITI Course Completion Certificates page.
Reminder! Make sure to save your Completion Certificate(s) as a PDF. We do not accept other formats.
A refresher course is required every 3 years. PIs are responsible for ensuring that anyone engaged in their research has up-to-date training.
Detailed instructions with screenshots are available on our Adding a CITI Course page.
Additional Trainings
Other trainings in addition to the CITI training(s) may be required by your Principal Investigator (PI). Contact your PI directly for more information.
Examples of additional training for protocols involving rats or mice
The following trainings may be required for the protocol you are joining. Contact your PI for specific details.
- Behavorial Neuroscience (BNS) Vivarium Training Canvas Course (modules assigned by PI)
- Vivarium tour (in person)
- Animal handling training (in person)