A longtime director of UM Central Animal Care Services (CACS) in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences is being recognized for his lifelong work to assure animal welfare in science.

Robert Madziak was honoured with the prestigious Harry C. Rowsell Lifetime Achievement Award in May for his advancements in science and medicine, while ensuring the highest standards of care for research animals.

“Receiving this award named for such an inspiring figure in our industry is an enormous honour and a wonderful recognition of my career, and the outstanding animal care team at UM,” Madziak told UM Today.

“While human clinical trials and petri-dish research are important scientific tools, they have limits. Understanding the impacts of diseases requires testing in living organisms, and the public needs to know that many medical advancements are only possible by using animals. Animals are only used when absolutely necessary and always as humanely as possible, in accordance with the national guidelines.”