Dr. Hickman graduated with her DVM from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and the American College of Animal Welfare. She currently is the Director for the Laboratory Animal Resource Center at the School of Medicine of Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN. She previously served as the Chief of Veterinary Services for the VA Medical Center in Portland, OR. She maintains an active research laboratory that uses a combination of physiology and behavior to assess animal well-being with a goal to improve the care of animals used in research. Current work has included development of novel assessment tools, exploration of how cage environment can be manipulated to improve well-being, and strategies to improve the process of euthanasia.