About

The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) is pleased to announce that Dr. Aurore Dodelet‑Devillers is the first winner of the CCAC Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes individuals with less than 10 years of experience in a leadership role in the field of ethical animal care and use, who have demonstrated exceptional growth in their levels of leadership, responsibility, sphere of impact, and contributed to both the ethical care and use of animals in science and to the CCAC.

Dr. Aurore Dodelet-Devillers is the senior clinical veterinarian at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI‑MUHC). From the very beginning of her time at RI‑MUHC, she has been at the forefront of new advancements to improve Three Rs practices and initiatives that enhance the ethical care and use of animals in science. Dr. Dodelet-Devillers is also an avid champion of rehoming. With her help, animals have been adopted following study completion, with each animal leaving with an adoption form, a health report from the veterinarian, and an information sheet that includes husbandry and feeding details. Her caring and generous nature is not reserved solely for animals: Dr. Dodelet-Devillers keenly recognizes the effect of compassion fatigue on animal health technicians, animal care workers, and veterinarians, and has implemented important activities that highlight the connection employees build with animals. As a CCAC volunteer, she has collaborated on guidelines documents and consistently encourages her team to participate in the public review of all draft guidelines documents, and has assisted on numerous assessment panels. She is also an active volunteer with the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science.