National physicians committee pressures OHSU to end animal testing

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A national physicians group is denouncing Oregon Health and Science University’s use of live animals for medical training.

More than 500 members of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine signed the letter sent to OHSU President Danny Jacobs on Thursday, urging the institution to “modernize and humanize” its surgical training program.

The university has stated it uses animals only “when nonanimal methods are inadequate or too dangerous for human participants” and, in those cases, the animals undergo anesthesia and are treated by veterinarians.

“We believe that the education and experience surgical trainees gain through the use of relevant animal models are essential to ensuring future surgeons have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide safe, high-quality care,” OHSU said, in part, in a statement.

The university noted that other training programs conduct animal testing as well. An ongoing survey from the Physicians Committee, most recently updated on July 2, shows OHSU is one of at least 60 programs in North America that uses animals.

The survey also lists 221 institutions that opt for other methods.

In the letter to President Jacobs, the committee offered to fund the demonstration of a surgery simulator that is estimated to cost $13,000. The company behind the system asserts it gives trainees a hyper-realistic surgery experience — that mimics a human's heartbeat and blood loss — without risking a subject's life or harming them.

The letter was coupled with a billboard above Interstate 5 North near OHSU’s lower campus. The billboard reads, “TOO WEIRD… EVEN FOR PORTLAND. OHSU: Stop Killing Pigs to Train Doctors.”

According to PCRM, both the billboard and letter have come after the organization’s failed attempts to discuss the matter with faculty members from the Department of Surgery and the School of Medicine.

The university said it “continually monitors and evaluates alternatives to using animal models in our surgical training and is committed to adopting these techniques as soon as they are validated scientifically.”