Ann-Christine Eklöf, 2015

Ann-Christine Eklöf is PhD and Associate Professor at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden.

Ann-Christine was trained in clinical physiology but have since 1966 mainly been involved in experimental research. The main topic for her PhD thesis was to create an animal model for studying renal hypertension. Her main research interest is still in the field of integrative physiology and in particular regulation of blood pressure via the kidneys, and she has published approximately 25 articles in this field.

She has also been very active in various teaching and training activities, and still is. She is giving lectures in ethics for biomedical students at Karolinska since 1998; teaching at supervisor courses by the Swedish Research Council; giving lectures to groups of young researchers, supervising medical care personnel in preparatory research education; supervising future lab technicians in their graduation projects; supervising biomedical postgraduate students in experimental design and laboratory animal science; and is educating post doctorates in experimental techniques in lab animals.

She was awarded Karolinska Institutet’s Ethical Award in 2011. In 2015, she was awarded the Lars Wass Award. At the reception, Ann-Christine gave a lecture with the title “Impact of FELASA working groups on animal welfare”.

Timo Nevalainen, 2012

Timo Nevalainen is a very good representative for a scientist who wants high quality and reproducible scientific results but demanding high standards concerning animal welfare. To develop good alternatives to animal models and to refine the existing ones was important for Timo Nevalainen. His aim has always been to reduce the number of animals used, increase ethical evaluation and thinking and to refine methods.

Timo Nevalainen had a special interest in education and training in laboratory animal science. He took over the Nordic summer school from Lars Wass and led the advanced course on laboratory animals in biomedical research for several years. Since then he has arranged numerous of C-category courses in the Baltic countries and in Russia as well as in Finland. At the same time he has been the convener of three FELASA working groups, namely those on guidelines for D- and B-categories and for accreditation of training. During the annual meeting 2012 Timo Nevalainen gave a lecture about “LAS education- past, present and future” about how important education are for all people involved in research with animals.