The Conference on Public Service and the Law

at the University of Virginia School of Law

Environmental Law Panel

Regulating Use of Animals in Research
The use and treatment of animals in scientific research is a controversial matter. While some think animals should not be used at all, others advocate their ethical use. But what exactly does this mean? And, what role should states, the federal government, or trade groups play in defining and enforcing ethical treatment of animals? We hope you will accept our invitation to serve on a panel examining these and other issues surrounding the regulation of the use of research animals.

Jonathan Cannon, Moderator
Professor of Law, University of Virginia
Jonathan Cannon, director of the Law School's Center for Environmental Studies, joined the Law School faculty in 1998 from the Environmental Protection Agency, where he served as general counsel (1995-98) and assistant administrator for administration and resources management (1992-95). Prior to his work with the EPA, Cannon was in the private practice of environmental law, served as an adjunct professor at Washington and Lee Law School, where he taught environmental law, and was a lecturer at the Law School.

Sara Amundson
Deputy Director and Legislative Director of Doris Day Animal Foundation
Sara Amundson, currently the Deputy Director and Legislative Director of the Doris Day Animal League, has been with the organization since 1988. She manages the legislative, public policy, publications and program departments for the organization. Sara's primary area of expertise is in the use of animals for testing and, as such, she has been the principal lobbyist behind the acceptance of Corrositex as the first federally-approved non-animal, alternative test; passage of the ICCVAM Authorization Act; passage of the California alternatives law and the first federal appropriation for research, development and validation of non-animal, alternative tests.

James Childress
Professor of Ethics and Professor of Medical Education, University of Virginia
Jim Childress is the John Allen Hollingsworth Professor of Ethics and Professor of Medical Education. In 1990 he was named Professor of the Year in the state of Virginia by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Childress is the author of numerous articles and several books in ethics, especially biomedical and political ethics. Childress was vice chair of the national Task Force on Organ Transplantation, and he has also served on the Board of Directors of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the UNOS Ethics Committee, the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, the Human Gene Therapy Subcommittee, the Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee, and several Data and Safety Monitoring Boards for NIH clinical trials. From 1996 to 2001, he served on the presidentially appointed National Bioethics Advisory Commission. He received his B.A. from Guilford College, his B.D. from Yale Divinity School, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Yale University.

Mindy Kursban
Chief Legal Counsel, Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine
Mindy Kursban is Chief Legal Counsel for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nationwide group of physicians and laypeople based in Washington, D.C., that promotes preventive medicine, especially through good nutrition, and promotes effective and ethical medial research. Since joining PCRM in August 1999, Ms. Kursban has focused on reforming federal nutritional policy and the way food manufacturers and producers market their products and on challenging the federal government's use, promotion, and funding of animal research. Ms. Kursban is a 1993 graduate of the Emory University School of Law.