University Institutional Review Board

This committee will assist researchers and institutional administrators with their duty to protect the rights and welfare of human research participants. The committee is responsible for providing initial and continuing review of nonexempt research; ascertaining acceptability of proposed research in terms of University policies and procedures; documenting that reviews are conducted according to University policy; providing assistance and information to investigators engaged in all research involving human participants; developing policy, procedures, information, and instructions regarding human participants research; adjudicating differences and reviewing problems arising in research involving human participants; ensuring compliance with externally mandated policies and regulations; reporting to the appropriate institutional officials and, for research governed by Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations, to the Secretary of HHS, any serious or continuing noncompliance by investigators with the requirements and determinations of the IRB.

Membership: The IRB will have a minimum of 5 full-time faculty members meeting criteria defined in the document “Standard Operating Procedures Human Research Protection Program/Institutional Review Board”. Appointments are for three years and will be staggered to minimize the number of terms that will expire in the same year. Terms begin in September. Faculty members are chosen by the Faculty Council. The Governance Secretary will solicit nominations for new members from the full-time faculty at least four months prior to the expiration of the serving members’ terms. Members also include the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies (ex officio-voting member), a member of the University’s administration chosen by the provost, the Administrator of the IRB, and a member of the surrounding community chosen by the provost, who is not affiliated with the University. In the event that a faculty member of the IRB steps down before the end of his/her term, Faculty Council will appoint a faculty member to serve the remainder of the term.