NAVS is proud to welcome Richard Miller, Ph.D., as a new Science Adviser and contributor to our educational and advocacy efforts.
Dr. Miller is an emeritus professor of pharmacology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where he worked for more than 20 years following a 25-year tenure at the University of Chicago. Throughout his career, he conducted biomedical research on the effects of drugs on the brain—much of it involving animal testing.
But over time, the ethical cost became too great to ignore.
“If we want to study the effects of drugs on pain using animals, then we must inflict pain on them,” Dr. Miller says. “The animals suffer greatly. At some point, I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
After stepping away from animal experimentation, Dr. Miller wrote a book reflecting on his experience and his hopes for a future shaped by human-relevant, cruelty-free science. He brings this insight to NAVS, where he will serve as a regular voice in our newsletters and educational outreach. He notes, “Animal research is no longer at the cutting edge of experimental science. The scientists who perform such studies are being left behind. Modern technologies—from stem cell models to advanced imaging—are better, more ethical, and more relevant to human health.”
Dr. Miller also challenges the philosophical assumptions that have long driven animal use in labs, dating back to 17th century thinkers like Descartes who viewed animals as unfeeling machines. In contrast, he lifts up more compassionate perspectives like that of Jeremy Bentham, who asked not whether animals can reason, but whether they can suffer.
“They can—and they do,” Miller says. “Treating animals this way is not commensurate with moral human behavior.”
NAVS is honored to amplify Dr. Miller’s voice, and we look forward to sharing his insights in the months ahead.
