Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee
The Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) at the Lebanese American University (LAU) is responsible for reviewing and approving all research projects involving animal models at the LAU Animal Facility.
The primary mission of the IACUC is to ensure that all proposed research complies with established national and international ethical standards, including the core principles outlined by the relevant Lebanese Authorities as well as the United States National Institute of Health (NIH), Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW).
IACUC Meeting Dates & Deadlines for Submissions
Meeting dates are set upon need only
IACUC Membership Roster
As of April 2025
Member Name |
Title and Affiliation |
Term of Appointment |
Member Designation |
---|---|---|---|
Sama Sleiman, PhD |
Associate Professor, School of Arts & Sciences Chairperson, IACUC committee, LAU |
December 2022 -present | Scientific member Chairperson, IRB |
Joseph Stephan, PhD |
Associate Professor, Gilbert & Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine Director, IRB office, LAU |
December 2022 -present |
Ad-Hoc member Non-voting |
Aniella Abi Gerges, PhD | Associate Professor, Gilbert & Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, LAU | December 2022 -present | Scientific member |
Elsy Ramia, PhD | Clinical Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, LAU | December 2022 -present | Scientific member |
Nadine Zeeni, PhD | Associate Professor, School of Arts & Sciences, LAU | December 2022 -present | Scientific member |
Roy Kanbar, PhD | Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, LAU | December 2022 -present | Scientific member |
Rachelle Jelwan, PhD | Veterinarian, Animal Facility, Graduate Studies & Research | December 2022 -present | Scientific member |
Karmen Baroudy, M.Sc., CIM | IRB Lead Program Manager, IRB Office, LAU | February 2012 - present |
Scientific, Non-voting member |
Submission Requirements & Application Forms
1. Overall Requirements
All research involving animals under the jurisdiction of the Lebanese American University must be submitted to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for review and approval prior to commencing the research. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator on an approved research protocol to ensure that approval status is maintained for the duration of the project. Any change to approved protocols must be approved by the IACUC chair/committee prior to implementation.
If a study involves extramural funding such as external funding agencies or sponsors, clearance must be secured from the relevant department at LAU before submission to the IACUC.
IACUC Application Documents
Education & Training
All study personnel, including faculty, student and support staff involved in a research project must complete the online working with animals training.
LAU is registered with the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program. You can access the relevant trainings through the CITI Home page. Please click on “Register” and select Lebanese American University as your affiliated organization. You can refer to the following Guidance documents to complete your registration. If you are registered with CITI under a different organization, you can use the same log in information and add another affiliation under LAU.
- Working with Animals training - Guidance Document related to the new training requirement and registration.
NOTE: All animal work certifications are valid for 3 years. Please make sure you refresh the training if 3 years have passed since the date on your Certificate of Completion.
Links and References
Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/phs-policy.htm
Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: Eighth Edition, Copyright 2011, NAS
https://olaw.nih.gov/policies-laws/guide-care-use-lab-animals
Contact Us
IACUC email IACUC@lau.edu.lb
Karmen Baroudy, M.Sc., CIM
IRB Lead Program Manager
Email: karmen.baroudy@lau.edu.lb
Ext. 2546
IRB Office, 2nd floor Dorms A, room 704, Byblos Campus