Tracy Heenan has served as director of the Office of Animal Care and Use (OACU) since 1994. She is also a research professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine within the UNC School of Medicine and serves on the AAALAC International Council on Accreditation, which evaluates animal care and use programs against rigorous standards for humane science.

What brought you to Carolina?

While working as a clinical veterinarian in a private companion animal practice, I heard about a new position at UNC-Chapel Hill supporting the biomedical research enterprise and faculty conducting animal research. The role focused on overseeing compliance with animal welfare regulations and facilitating humane animal research. I was intrigued, interviewed for the position, and started my career at Carolina on March 1, 1994.

How has your role here changed over the years?

So much has changed over the past three decades — not only in biomedical research and the regulations surrounding animal research and teaching, but also in OACU’s structure and my own role as director. When the director position was created, the office consisted of just one person: me. The work focused on meeting the basic requirements of the U.S. Animal Welfare Act and fulfilling National Institutes of Health (NIH) obligations for animal research.

Since then, both the regulatory landscape and Carolina’s biomedical research enterprise have grown tremendously. OACU has grown along with them and now includes 10 full-time positions when fully staffed. 

In 1998, OACU launched a hands-on animal researcher training program, designed to strengthen researchers’ skills in handling rodents and performing aseptic surgical techniques. The focus was on teaching humane, careful handling and common research procedures in a classroom setting, with additional one-on-one training for complex techniques. Implementing this program — and training more than 1,000 researchers — was a significant undertaking.

In 2002, we created the UNC Laboratory Animal Coordinator (LAC) Certification Program. At the time, it was unique, and many other institutions have since adopted similar models. The program strengthens researcher training and communication among labs, the OACU, and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Certified coordinators play a critical role in managing animal activities in labs, communicating with my office, and training others in animal handling.  This program has been described in a peer-reviewed article and was presented nationally at the request of the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. NIH even sent fellows to UNC-Chapel Hill for many years to train in our handling and aseptic technique classes.

OACU’s responsibilities have continued to expand: ensuring grant and IACUC protocol congruency reviews for federally funded projects, developing a Post Approval Monitoring program, creating an online protocol platform from scratch, maintaining AAALAC International accreditation, and offering robust regulatory and compliance training to equip researchers with knowledge needed to conduct humane and compliant animal research.

My role has also been shaped by opportunities outside UNC-Chapel Hill. Serving as an ad hoc consultant with AAALAC International for nine years — and now as a member of the AAALAC International Council on Accreditation since 2018 — has enhanced my education, experience, and ability to contribute to our animal program. I’ve been grateful for leadership’s support, and it has been rewarding to bring back best practices and helpful insights to Carolina.

What’s kept you at Carolina?

It has been an easy decision to remain at Carolina. The people along with the stimulating academic environment, have made UNC-Chapel Hill a place I’ve always wanted to be. Since OACU came under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research in 2002, we’ve also benefited from strong administrative and budgetary support.

The campus itself is another gift. The N.C. Botanical Garden, the arboretum, the neighboring residential areas, and the beauty of campus in spring and fall make Carolina a lovely place to work.

And raising a family here was made even better by the many programs that were available to employees’ children: the Frank Porter Graham Child Care Center, Carolina Kids Camp, Kids Rock, summer programs at the Botanical Garden and Morehead Planetarium, and access to Bowman Gray and Kessing pools. These opportunities enriched my children’s lives and enhanced my experience as a parent.

All of these things — and many more — are why I’ve been happy to remain at Carolina for 32 years.

What contribution are you most proud of?

Developing and implementing the OACU Hands-on Research Training Program in 1998 and the LAC Certification Program in 2002.

What is a uniquely Carolina experience you’ve had?

What feels uniquely “Carolina” to me is the people I’ve worked with and the collaborative environment they’ve created. It has also been a special bonus to share the campus with my family — my children during their grammar school years as they participated in Carolina programs; my husband during his 26 years with Environment, Health and Safety; and five nieces and nephews who attended UNC-Chapel Hill as undergraduate and medical students.