Which organization administers the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals?

• A. IACUC
• B. Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
• C. USDA APHIS Animal Care
• D. NIH

Answer: (B)

The right organization to administer the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals is the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. This office is responsible for the policy’s development, interpretation, and oversight across institutions that receive Public Health Service funds. It handles the Assurance process, where institutions commit to following the PHS Policy, and it conducts ongoing compliance oversight to ensure humane care and use of animals.

Within institutions, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) carries out day-to-day work—reviewing and approving specific research protocols to ensure they meet the policy’s humane standards—so you’ll often hear about IACUC in relation to implementation rather than administration of the policy itself.

The USDA APHIS Animal Care program enforces the Animal Welfare Act, which is a separate regulatory framework for animal welfare, not the PHS Policy. NIH is the parent agency that oversees PHS policies, including OLAW, but the administering body for the PHS Policy is OLAW.