Standing Up for Science: Session Introduction

Abstract

M any of us in this room believe strongly that the use of animals in biomedical research is essential for the improvement of human health. The Public Health Service Policy is what we are here to commemorate, but we also, in our celebration of the advances that have been made, need to recognize that there are some very signifi cant challenges still facing us. We have two individuals who are going to share with us both their views on some of those challenges and some of the ways that we can perhaps work together to address them. The first is Dr. David Jentsch. He received his bachelor’s degree in behavioral biology from the Johns Hopkins Uni­ versity and his PhD in neurobiology from Yale University. After postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh and then back at Yale, he moved to UCLA, where he is cur­ rently a professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psy­ chology. He is also the Associate Director for Research for the Brain Research Institute. His research focuses on genetic and neurochemical mechanisms that infl uence cognition, impulse control, and decision making in laboratory animals. In reaction to the escalating extremism among animal rights activists, which culminated in the firebombing of his car in 2009, Dr. Jentsch formed the group Pro-Test for Science. He and his colleagues play a prominent role in scientifi c advo­ cacy by coordinating the response of the scientifi c commu­ nity to attacks against researchers. Dr. Jentsch is also a member of the board of directors of the biomedical advocacy group Americans for Medical Progress. Dr. Dario Ringach received his BS in computer engi­ neering and MS in electrical engineering from Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, where he did research in com­ puter vision and image processing. He later shifted his attention to the biology of vision and received his PhD in neuroscience from New York University. He’s been at UCLA since 1999 and is now a professor of neurobiology and psy­ chology. His scientific interests center on cortical dynamics and computation. He also devotes an increasing amount of time to advocate for animal research and promote a public and civil dialogue on the use of animals in biomedical research.