One can assume that Great Eastern ceased sponsoring the Eastern Veterinary Conference. Therefore, the PHS Policy would not apply to this situation, because the funds most likely come from registration fees and private donations. One can also assume that the wet lab trainees are veterinary technicians who have graduated from an accredited college.

The AWA does regulate the use of ruminant species for teaching and research, and the use of regulated live animals for teaching beyond a secondary-school level qualifies as teaching or research. Therefore, the conference center must register with the USDA as a 'research facility', and the Institutional Official (IO) must appoint an IACUC to oversee the use of regulated species in the wet labs. Ideally, the Great Eastern IACUC could serve as their IACUC of record. If the school would rather avoid this choice because of the scrutiny of the animal rights activists, the IO must appoint another IACUC. The AWA regulations require only three members: a Chair and two additional members. Of the three members, one must be a veterinarian with training or experience in laboratory animal medicine and responsibility for the animal activities. Another member must be unaffiliated with the conference center or organizers of the conference. Henry could serve as the third member and Chair. Educating the IACUC to ensure compliance with AWA regulations could be a challenge, so Henry would be wise to find a well-experienced laboratory animal medicine veterinarian. Using an experienced consultant from the Great Eastern's IACUC would be beneficial as well.

Once the Committee members have been appointed, they should inspect the areas in which live ruminants will be held or used, and submit their report to the IO. Henry may encounter great difficulties identifying appropriate and compliant facilities in a conference center. He would have more flexibility with facility requirements if the animals are not housed and major survival surgery is not performed, both of which can be avoided in an anesthesia and analgesia wet lab.

Those conducting the wet lab should identify a Principal Investigator (PI) to complete a study proposal. The IACUC would then need to approve the proposal before animal use and also verify all wet lab staff are appropriately trained. The PI will hopefully be a veterinarian with a DEA license for the anesthetics and analgesics used in the wet lab.

Time may be the greatest hurdle for Henry and the IACUC. This entire process is new for him and the other organizers. He will have greater difficulties if he cannot use Great Eastern's IACUC or find an experienced veterinarian and consultant. He must also allow time to research his state's regulations, because there may be specific requirements for this scenario. Beginning the process as soon as possible is critical to compliant implementation.