The Office for the Protection of Human and Animal Subjects at San Francisco State University exists to support the work of the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS), also known as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

The IRB and the IACUC are charged with protecting the safety and welfare of humans and animals used in research at or in conjunction with this university. The committees do not expect research to be free from risk, but do expect the investigator to be aware of the risks, to minimize risk when possible, and to take appropriate precautions whenever necessary.