Public Health Service (PHS)

The Public Health Service (P.H.S.) is a federal agency that includes the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.). N.I.H. is a funding agency that supports research activities at qualified institutions. An investigator qualifies for N.I.H. funding only if there is an institutional Assurance on file with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW). The Assurance describes how P.H.S. funded animal activities are performed in compliance with the P.H.S. Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the P.H.S. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide). The P.H.S. Policy and Guide state principles of care and use of any vertebrate animal in a P.H.S. funded study. The letter of Assurance describes the Institutional Program for the Care and Use of Animals and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The Institutional Program for the Care and Use of Animals includes lines of authority for administering the program and the authority, qualifications and responsibility of the attending veterinarian. A description of the training program available to scientists, research technicians and animal care technicians is also required. The P.H.S. Policy and Guide are used as basis for the program formation and description. The P.H.S Guide states requirements and recommendations for institutional policies for personnel qualifications, occupational health, aseptic surgery, laboratory animal husbandry, veterinary care, and the physical plant. The assurance is updated annually and considered for renewal every five years. Investigators and staff are encouraged to be familiar with all aspects of the written Assurance. Please read the request from OLAW. The Assurance, the Guide and the P.H.S. Policy are available for review in the U.C.A.R. office (X 5-1693). Please call the U.C.A.R. secretary to schedule a meeting with a U.C.A.R. member for more information about P.H.S. conditions of funding protocols.