BIO ~ DR. EMILY TRUNNELL
Dr. Emily Trunnell, Director of Science Advancement and Outreach for PETA
Dr. Emily Trunnell is the director of PETA’s Science Advancement and Outreach division, where she leads a team working to improve science policy and publishing and to replace the use of animals with superior research methods.
Her work has led to multiple victories, including persuading 16 companies—including Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, and other top pharmaceutical companies—to end their use of the forced swim test, during which experimenters drop small animals into inescapable containers filled with water and watch as the terrified animals struggle to keep their heads above water.
Dr. Trunnell earned a B.S. in nutrition science and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Georgia. Her peer-reviewed papers, letters, and opinion pieces have appeared in numerous publications, including Advanced Science, Drug Discovery Today, and Scientific American.
In this interview, PETA’s Dr. Emily Trunnell will talk more about Research Modernization NOW and exactly what this plan entails, including:
Stop what’s not working: Immediately end animal use in research areas in which animals have been shown to be poor “models” of humans and their use has impeded scientific and medical progress.
Fund what does work: Redirect funds from experiments on animals to reliable, non-animal methods.
Weigh harms and benefits: Implement a harm-benefit analysis system for experiments on animals that includes an ethical perspective and consideration of lifelong harm inflicted on animals.
Offer education and training: Educate and train the scientific community in the benefits of and how to use non-animal approaches.
For more information, please visit peta.org/RMN.
