Ethics in Medical Education

Help End the Live Animal Lab at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

We need your help to end the live animal lab at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Twenty years ago, live animals were commonly used in physiology, pharmacology, and surgery classes at medical schools. A standard lab involved anesthetizing the animal, followed by injecting pharmaceuticals or practicing surgical techniques. After the class, the animal was killed.

Today, the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University still offers this cruel and unnecessary exercise. The school uses pigs in its third-year surgery clerkship lab six times throughout the school year. Prior reports from other medical schools have described how some animals have actually regained consciousness during painful procedures due to insufficient anesthesia, or have had fatal complications during the lab. The next clerkship at the Brody School of Medicine is scheduled to begin March 10.

Please call, e-mail, fax, or write a letter to Interim Dean Phyllis Horns, R.N., D.S.N., F.A.A.N., and Associate Dean David Musick, M.D., at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and politely ask them to end the school’s live animal lab program. Being polite is the most effective way to help these animals. Send an automatic e-mail>

Phyllis N. Horns, R.N., D.S.N., F.A.A.N.
Interim Dean
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
600 Moye Blvd.
Greenville, NC 27834
Phone: 252-328-6099
Fax: 252-328-4300
hornsp@ecu.edu

David Musick, M.D.
Associate Dean for Medical Education
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
600 Moye Blvd.
Greenville, NC 27834
Phone: 252-744-2149
Fax: 252-744-3015
musickd@ecu.edu

More than 90 percent of medical schools have eliminated live animal labs from their curricula altogether. Innovations in medical simulation technology, availability of alternatives, increased awareness of ethical concerns, and a growing acknowledgement that medical training must be human-focused have all facilitated this shift. Only 10 out of 154 allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in the United States still use live animals in their curricula.

Learn more about live animal labs and what you can do to help end them. If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Merkley at rmerkley@pcrm.org or 202-686-2210, ext. 336.

Media Center | Health | Research | About PCRM | Catalog | Join Us | Search | Site Index | Home

The site does not provide medical or legal advice. This Web site is for information purposes only.
Full Disclaimer | Privacy Policy