Dr. Jonathan Balcombe and the Pleasurable Kingdom November 24, 2008

Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., M.S., is a research scientist with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a nationwide organization of physicians and laypersons that promotes preventive medicine, especially good nutrition, and addresses controversies in modern medicine, including ethical issues in research; former Associate Director for Education, Animal Research Issues, Humane Society of the United States; former Researcher, Investigations Dept., People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

As a research scientist, Dr. Balcombe works on issues relating to the use of animals in medical science and education. He analyzes and synthesizes published findings and writes and presents papers for publication in scientific and lay journals. Dr. Balcombe also writes the monthly column Beyond Animal Research for the PCRM Web site.

Dr. Balcombe’s books include The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations and Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good, which was published by Macmillan in May 2006. Dr. Balcombe has also written about animals in research for numerous magazines, including PCRM’s Good Medicine and Alternatives in Veterinary Medical Education. Dr. Balcombe reviews manuscripts for Animal Behaviour, The American Biology Teacher, and the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. He also writes a weekly blog for FirstScience.com.

Dr. Balcombe has contributed to more than 30 academic journals and book chapters, including Animal Behaviour, The American Biology Teacher, the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science, and the British Medical Journal. His recent literature review of rodents’ laboratory housing and behavioral needs was published in Laboratory Animals in April 2006.

Dr. Balcombe has given more than 50 presentations on the use of animals in research and on alternatives to the use of animals in medical research and education. His recent presentations include "Rodents in Laboratories: Thinking Outside the Cage," at the Sixth Annual Animal Welfare Forum in Canada and a presentation on pleasure in animals at the second InterNICHE conference in Norway.

Dr. Balcombe received his Doctorate in Ethology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He received his Master in Biology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and his bachelor’s in biology from York University in North York, Ontario.

Before coming to PCRM, Dr. Balcombe served as the Research Coordinator for Immersion Medical, a medical simulation company in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D., M.S.
Senior Research Scientist
PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)
5100 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20016
Tel: 202-686-2210 ext. 331
Fax: 202-686-2216

Co-sponsored by The New York Public Library and The New York Bird Club.
The presentation is free and open to the public.

Official Website: http://www.manhattanbirdclub.com