J. Preston Van Hooser, BS

University of Washington, Office of Animal Welfare
Seattle, WA

J. Preston Van Hooser, BS, serves as Review Scientist and Compliance Manager in the Office of Animal Welfare at the University of Washington (UW). With over two decades of experience, he has demonstrated unwavering commitment to advancing the integrity and excellence of vertebrate animal research and education.

In recent years, Mr. Van Hooser has spearheaded the development and implementation of UW’s inaugural Compassion Fatigue (CF) Program, which he currently co-chairs. His leadership in this area reflects a deep conviction that laboratory animal professionals deserve access to practical tools and evidence-based strategies to recognize, manage, and mitigate compassion fatigue in their work.

Mr. Van Hooser began his research career in 1991 in the Department of Ophthalmology at UW, where his contributions led to multiple peer-reviewed publications and a landmark breakthrough in restoring vision in a mouse model of Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)—a rare, inherited retinal disorder presenting in early childhood.

He continues to influence the field through active service on several boards, including the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR) and the Washington Adoption Center for Retired Research Animals (WACRRA). He is also a member of leading professional organizations such as the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) and Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R).

In addition to his academic and regulatory roles, Mr. Van Hooser serves as President and CEO of InVision BioResources, a Seattle-based company that provides incidental ocular tissues to vision researchers around the globe.

Presentation(s):

• E07 - Building Compassion Resilience by Understanding Animal Welfare

  Saturday, November 8, 2025
  1:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET