The main purpose of this committee is to ensure the safety of people who voluntarily participate in research projects as subjects. Regardless of the presence or absence of institutional review, an investigator has a personal responsibility to human subjects and is liable for harm resulting from conduct that disregards the rights of human subjects during the research process/research processes.

The legal authority for the Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB) comes from the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (described in 45 CFR Part 46).

What is Research? "Research means a systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge."

What is a Human Subject? "Human subject means a living individual about whom an investigator (whether professional or student) conducting research obtains (1) data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or (2) identifiable private information."

1. Prior to completing an application for review, please read the HSRB guidelines.

2. Complete an Application for Review (including research description and informed consent document). This form can be found online at HSRB Online Application. This form is automatically submitted to Monie Hayes, the chair of the HSRB committee. Please do not send paper copies.

If you are seeking an external grant for research, a letter to a prospective funding agency will be issued stating that the proposed research protocol is under review and that the HSRB will make a decision within 60 days. Normally, this letter will be forwarded to the agency by the researcher and not the HSRB committee.

3. The application will be reviewed and the complete project application will be placed in one of three categories; Exempt from full-board review, Expedited Review, or Full-board review. These types of categories are described on the Review Categories page.

All research projects must be submitted for review. It is the responsibility of the HSRB Chair and committee to determine whether a project is exempt (from a full board review), expedited, or requires a full board review.

4. If the project is rejected, the principal investigator may revise and resubmit the proposal.

5. Either the committee or the investigator can request that the investigator be present at the part of the meeting of the HSRB when a specific project is being considered.

6. If required, a letter describing the decision of the HSRB will be addressed to the funding agency. Normally, this letter will be forwarded to the agency by the investigator.

7. If a project is approved, it will receive a one year expiration date. If the research is not completed in a year, the researcher should submit a request for extension. If at any time after the project is approved, the researcher wishes to make changes to the materials or procedures, an addendum should be submitted to the HSRB for consideration.

Go to HSRB Guidelines