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Each of the five IRBs specializes in certain types of research, as described below. Studies are assigned to an IRB based on the following:
- The Principal Investigator's home department (see descriptions of committees below);
- The type of study being reviewed, that is, social behavioral or biomedical, based, in general, on the protocol's hypothesis or research question (see distinctions below); and
- The types of study procedures being used (see examples and notes below).
- North General Campus IRB (NGIRB) reviews social-behavioral research from North campus departments including Psychology, Education, Anthropology, Sociology, Linguistics, Economics, and Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM).
- South General Campus IRB (SGIRB) reviews social-behavioral research from South campus researchers who conduct health services research in areas such as public health, quality of care, quality of life, health prevention and education, psycho-social drug abuse research.
- Medical IRB1 (MIRB1) reviews general and internal medicine research, and most dental and ophthalmologic research.
- Medical IRB2 (MIRB2) reviews oncology, hematology, HIV-AIDS and infectious disease medical research.
- Medical IRB3 (MIRB3) reviews neuroscience and psychiatric medical research and related behavioral science research.
- Biomedical research refers to the study of specific diseases and conditions (mental or physical), including detection, cause, prophylaxis, treatment and rehabilitation of persons; the design of methods, drugs and devices used to diagnose, support and maintain the individual during and after treatment for specific diseases or conditions; and/or the scientific investigation required to understand the underlying life processes which affect disease and human well-being, including such areas as cellular and molecular bases of diseases, genetics, immunology. This research is typically quantitative and not qualitative.
- Social-behavioral research refers broadly to research that deals with human attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and is often characterized by data collection methods such as questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, direct or participant observation, and non-invasive physical measurements. The research may be qualitative or quantitative.
Important Notes
- Social-behavioral studies that involve the use of drugs or devices, radiation and radiolabeled tracers, and other invasive procedures require review by a medical IRB.
- Prospective collection of biological specimens (e.g., blood, saliva) and/or collection of data via non-invasive measures (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging without the use of radiotracers, tests of sensory acuity, electrocardiography) that are usually considered clinical in nature may be reviewed by one of the general campus committees if:
- The purpose of the research is primarily social-behavioral in nature;
- The physiological interventions are sufficiently benign as to involve no more than minimal risk to subjects; and
- The research otherwise fits the descriptions of one of the campus rather than medical committees.
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