William S. Stokes, D.V.M., has been named a recipient of a certificate of recognition from The Humane Society of the United States (http://www.hsus.org/) , under its Russell and Burch Awards program for outstanding contributions toward the advancement of alternative methods of toxicity testing.

Alternative methods are those that can replace or reduce animal use for specific procedures, or refine the procedures so that animals experience less pain and distress. The "three R's" of laboratory animal welfare are replacement, reduction and refinement.

The award will be presented November 2 at the Wyndham Bristol Hotel in Washington, D.C., in connection with the Pain Management and Humane Endpoints conference at the National Academy of Sciences (http://www.nasonline.org/) .

As Associate Director for Animal and Alternative Resources, Stokes heads the alternative methods program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, which is also the headquarters agency for the National Toxicology Program (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/) within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Since 1993, NIEHS and Stokes have played a leadership role in the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) (http://iccvam.niehs.nih.gov/home.htm), which is a government-wide effort to facilitate the review and adoption of improved alternative methods for toxicity testing.

ICCVAM recently convened an expert panel which reviewed and endorsed an advanced method for testing for contact dermatitis that is less stressful and will reduce the use of animals.