An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a diverse body that may consist of faculty, staff and students. An IRB must have at least one community representative and one nonscientist. Each IRB is charged with protecting the rights and welfare of human research subjects. The IRB reviews proposed research protocols to ensure that the proposed research follows federal guidelines and accepted ethical principles to meet that goal. Academic and cultural diversity of IRB members ensures that research proposals are given a thorough review by members with varying interests.
In order to receive federal funding for human subjects research, an institution must pledge, in a document called a FederalWide Assurance (FWA), to follow certain ethical principles and federal regulations in the review of human subjects research proposals. CUNY applies these ethical principles and federal regulations to all human subjects research conducted at CUNY or by CUNY employees (faculty and staff) and students, regardless of funding or funding source.
CUNY faculty, staff and students, and community representatives to the IRB volunteer their time to ensure that CUNY research is conducted in concert with these ethical principles. Because the regulations were designed to be flexible, the IRB members must remain up-to-date on the interpretation of the regulations. They regularly attend training sessions and read research ethics related literature.
CUNY currently has 21 IRBs on 18 campuses that review research proposals involving human research participants. Over 175 faculty, staff and community representatives volunteer their time as IRB members. The CUNY IRBs review nearly 2,000 research protocols each year, with that number steadily rising. The IRB members also consult with principal investigators on a regular basis and conduct training sessions for campus researchers.
CUNY IRB members are a dedicated group of people demonstrating that protecting human research subjects continues to be a CUNY priority.
