Johnson, C. H., Carter, K. 2016. The enrichment club. Lab Animal 45(9), 341.

Regulatory requirements provide instructions on enrichment specifically for nonhuman primates, but we believe all animals can benefit from enrichment if it is structured for that species. Hired as the Director of Behavior Management and Environmental Enrichment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, I was tasked with the responsibility of revamping the program to improve enrichment and animal welfare. The idea for an ‘enrichment club’ began to take shape. Rather than simply add more responsibilities to people’s plates, the enrichment club would provide an opportunity to educate and train staff on environmental enrichment and behavior management, with the long-term mission of attracting staff to engage more with our broader enrichment program. Although the enrichment club has hosted just a few meetings, the benefits are already apparent for both the animals and employees. We hope our club can serve as a template for others that want to make enrichment a core component of their program.