General Information
Table of Contents
IRB Meeting Locations
Virtual Meetings
Meetings are held on Zoom. We are required to document attendance, as such, we require that all cameras are turned on during the meeting to account for a “present” vote. If you need to leave for a break or something, send a direct chat message to the IRB coordinator managing the meeting—she is responsible to keep a count of quorum. If at any time during the meeting we do not have quorum, we have to stop the meeting until quorum is present.
Sometime during the year the IRB will meet once or twice in-person in a central location, typically in the Kimball Tower.
IRB Resources
The following are available resources for IRB members:
IRB Website: The website contains help and information on regulatory updates, application help, and reviewers’ checklists and tool specifically crafted for you.
IRB Meetings: IRB meetings serve as a vital resource to members by offering a collaborative forum to apply ethical standards and regulatory criteria in real time. They provide an opportunity to see the regulations and criteria for approval in practice while gaining valuable insight from the diverse disciplines and perspectives represented at the table.
Member Checklists and Guides: Several checklists are available to support IRB members in their review of research studies. While completing these checklists is not required, members should be familiar with their content and refer to them as needed to help ensure a thorough and informed review. [Click here to access the checklists.]
Handouts Distributed at Regular Meetings or Via Email: The HRPP regularly distributes materials of interest to IRB members, such as newspaper articles, editorials from professional journals, and publications, such as IRB: Ethics & Human Research. These handouts are included for information and general discussion.
Institutional Review Board: Member Handbook: Each new member receives a copy of Institutional Review Board: Member Handbook by Robert Amdur and Elizabeth A. Bankert. This book provides members with important information needed in order to help them in the collaborative effort to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects. Topic-specific chapters list the criteria IRB members should use to determine how to vote on specific kinds of studies and offer practical advice on what IRB members should do before and during committee meetings.
IRB Newsletters: The IRB announces major changes or updates via newsletters. Newsletters may include information on updates to application forms, revised policy and guidance that impacts human subject research, and educational opportunities.
OHRP Decision Charts: The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) provides helpful decision charts that outline key regulatory pathways and considerations in the IRB review process. These charts serve as a valuable reference for IRB members when determining review categories, assessing exemptions, and applying federal criteria for approval. They can be accessed here.