Animal-Free Science Workshop for Early-Career Researchers No. 5

Animal-Free Science Workshop Series – Session #5

Topic: Understanding and Addressing Animal Methods Bias
Speaker: Dr. Catharine E. Krebs, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
Date & Time: January 22, 2026, 10 am to 12 pm ET
Co-organized by: Dr. Kathrin Herrmann (Director, Education Program, Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing) and Mikalah Singer (Science Policy Specialist, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)

Free registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r9e_2TnyQEOh6IhnlF28Og

About the Session:
Animal methods bias refers to a peer review bias characterized by a preference for animal-based research or a lack of expertise to adequately evaluate nonanimal methods. This bias can compromise the quality and fairness of nonanimal research assessments—whether in manuscript peer review, grant evaluation, or other professional settings.

Survey studies consistently reveal that nearly half of respondents have been asked by reviewers to add animal experiments to their otherwise animal-free studies. Many authors perceive such requests as scientifically unjustified but feel pressured to comply to secure publication or funding. When they refuse, researchers often face publication delays, lower-impact journals, or rejected grants. Bibliometric analyses further confirm that high-impact papers are more likely to report animal use compared to in vitro or computational alternatives.

In this session, Dr. Catharine Krebs will review the current evidence for animal methods bias and offer actionable recommendations for researchers, journals, and funders to mitigate its harmful effects. She will also discuss how animal methods bias manifests in other domains beyond publishing and funding.
Learn more at AnimalMethodsBias.org.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Catharine E. Krebs is a Medical Research Program Manager with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an organization dedicated to advancing preventive medicine, ethical research, and nonanimal-based medical education. She leads efforts to expand the use of human-relevant research approaches at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and promotes policies fostering a more diverse and inclusive research workforce.

Dr. Krebs has authored numerous Congressional statements and public comments to federal agencies and conducts mixed-methods and bibliometric research on the prevalence and impact of animal methods bias. She is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and a member of the American Public Health Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.