Princeton University is a registered research facility with the United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS-AC), and has an approved Animal Welfare Assurance on file with the Public Health Service’s (PHS) Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW). The University reports to both the USDA and OLAW on an annual basis, and more frequently as needed. Princeton is also fully accredited by AAALAC International.

The regulations require that the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) provide oversight of the animal program through continuing reviews to ensure that procedures are performed as approved by the committee.

Post-approval monitoring (PAM) can facilitate ongoing protocol assessment and regulatory compliance by monitoring protocols after the IACUC's initial protocol approval.
PAM methods include: protocol review; laboratory visits; observation of selected procedures; observation of animals; follow-ups to concerns of LAR, IACUC, or research personnel.

This program is designed to improve the quality of research by ensuring congruence between what is described in the research protocol and what is occurring during the actual performance of research activities. This will also give researchers an opportunity to ask questions and receive information about regulations and issues regarding the humane use of animals used in research and teaching.

All vertebrate in-house animal studies are subject to PAM. Receiving notification that a study has been selected for PAM does not imply that wrongdoing has occurred or is suspected in the conduct of the study.

The IACUC will receive periodic reports of activities and findings of the PAM program by the Post-Approval Monitor.

The following Self-Assessment forms are based off the OLAW Semiannual Inspection Checklist and are available for internal lab use.

• Lab Self-Assessment Tool: Lab spaces
• Lab Self-Assessment Tool: Satellite Housing