Dear Mr. Sachs and Tulane University Faculty:

Please count my voice among many that have asked Tulane University School of Medicine to drop its live animal labs. Animal experimentation does not represent 21st century scientific progress. Perhaps that is why just 5 percent of U.S. institutions still direct students to cut apart (and later kill) pigs and other animals. Tulane is part of that minority — even though the university has several TraumaMan System units at its sophisticated Center for Advanced Medical Simulation and Team Training.

Some 95 percent of Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) programs exclusively use human- patient simulators in place of dogs, goats or pigs. I respectfully ask Tulane to join them. As you know, the American College of Surgeons endorses TraumaMan as a method to learn lifesaving skills.

Animal models, on the other hand, deflect focus and funding from training relevant to human trauma and disease. Please replace live animal labs with more applicable human-based technologies.

ATLS programs benefit from anatomically advanced simulators, along with human cadavers and real-life hospital rotations. Simulators cut costs and improve proficiency. They allow for more in-depth feedback and assessment of student performance, while reducing dropout rates.

Trauma management training does not need to reduce any animal's life to confinement, invasive surgery and death. Given the accessibility of capable, usually superior, animal-free tools — there is no valid reason for live animal labs in any curriculum.

Thank you,

YOUR FULL NAME
ADDRESS, CITY, STATE
COUNTRY

email addresses only

bsachs@tulane.edu, mwbrown@tulane.edu, lhamm@tulane.edu, ome@tulane.edu, simcenter@tulane.edu, korndorffer@tulane.edu

full contact information

Benjamin P. Sachs, M.B. Senior Vice President and Dean Tulane University School of Medicine 1430 Tulane Avenue, SL 77 New Orleans, LA 70112 ph: 504-988-5462 email: bsachs@tulane.edu SOURCE: tulane.edu/som/administration.cfm Mary Brown, MBA Vice President, Health Sciences Systems Vice Dean, Administration ph: 504-988-5463 email: mwbrown@tulane.edu Lee Hamm, MD, Executive Vice Dean ph: 504-988-7800 email: lhamm@tulane.edu

Office of Medical Education Tulane University School of Medicine 1430 Tulane Avenue, SL-6, Suite 1730 New Orleans, LA 70112 ph: 504-988-6600 email: ome@tulane.edu SOURCE: tulane.edu/som/ome/ COPY YOUR COMMENTS TO: Tulane Center for Advanced Medical Simulation and Team Training 1430 Tulane Ave., SL-77 New Orleans LA 70112 ph: 504-988-9150 fax: fax: 504-988-9151 email: simcenter@tulane.edu, korndorffer@tulane.edu SOURCE: tulane.edu/som/sim

Your own voice makes more impact. Try to change some words in letter. Subject: Salutation: THIS ALERT IS CLOSED.

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