Laboratory animal medicine ( LAM) ，as a specialty within veterinary medicine，started in 1950s in the USA． USA represents probably the most advanced LAM in the world． The objective of this article was to concisely brief the history of LAM in the USA，including the needs for laboratory animal veterinarians in Biomedical field; early veterinary practice in laboratory animal sciences; the establishment of American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine ( ACLAM) ;the historical and current practice of education，training and certification in LAM; and the impact and influence of laws and regulations on LAM． Based upon personal experiences of the authors and the national situations in China，it was proposed that strategy for LAM development in China would include but not limited to the followings; further consummating laboratory animal related laws and regulations，strengthening LAM contents in veterinary education and training，advocating an promoting the training of future LAM leaders，enhancing multi-channel networking among LAM professionals，further supporting and investing in LAM related research． “Standing on the shoulders”of well developed LAM collective wisdom，we should be able to build up，step by step，our LAM specialty with Chinese characteristics．