Rachel Niemi joined ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ in 2003 as a registered veterinary technician for the Animal Resource Center (ARC). After five years of working in the ARC, she left to join the Akron Zoo as a registered veterinary technician and hospital manager. She rejoined ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½ in October 2014 as the post-approval monitoring (PAM) manager. Currently, she serves as the PAM manager for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Office, where she oversees the PAM Program for the university. Rachel develops and implements institutional programs, processes and policies to help educate researchers, while ensuring compliance with federal, state and local regulations. Rachel is dedicated to promoting and enhancing research.
Rachel and her team are responsible for overseeing the PAM Program for the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and regulatory compliance of research at the university. This program is designed to improve the quality of research by ensuring congruence between what is described in the research protocol and what is occurring during the actual performance of research activities. The program establishes collaborative partnerships between the IACUC and investigators to promote animal welfare, quality research, and improve the overall research animal program.