Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for Ouachita Baptist University serves to interact with, advise on, and monitor the care and use of animals used in research on our campus.
Currently, Ouachita has a research laboratory dedicated to the study of zebrafish
(Danio rerio).
NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
Committee Chair
Joshua C. Kwekel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, AR
Attending Veterinarian
Rob Rucker, D.V.M.
Veterinarian
Providence Veterinary Care
Arkadelphia, AR
Research Scientist with Animal Research Experience
Raffaela Lesch, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Little Rock, AR
Non-Scientist Committee Member
Byron Eubanks, Ph.D.
Chair of the Department of Philosophy
Director of the Sutton Center for Integrity
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, AR
Non-Scientist Committee Member
Lewis A. Shepherd, Jr., Ed.D.
Vice-President for Community and Intercultural Engagement
Ouachita Baptist University
Arkadelphia, AR
Non-University Affiliated Committee Member
Bill Conine
Chief Executive Officer and General Manager (retired)
Petit Jean Electric Cooperative
Arkadelphia, AR
The Kwekel Zebrafish Laboratory takes animal care seriously. If you have concerns about the care and use of the research animals at Ouachita Baptist University, we invite you to email the IACUC Chair, Dr. Joshua Kwekel (kwekelj@obu.edu), or our Institutional Official, Dr. Tim Knight (knightt@obu.edu).
Zebrafish are a commonly used research model in graduate and undergraduate institutions as they share many similarities of biological interest with humans. Establishing and maintaining a zebrafish research laboratory at Ouachita has been dependent upon of several resources, databases, and regulatory agencies for adapting current best practices. Some of those resources include:
Zebrafish Husbandry Association (ZHA)
Zebrafish International Resource Center (ZIRC)
NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare Program of Animal Use and Care
