Conducting an Institutional Review Board (IRB) self-assessment may help administrators refine standard operating procedures and streamline communication. It’s an essential part of performance evaluation and provides an opportunity to celebrate achievements, conduct appraisals, and reflect upon past decisions. It also provides a thoughtful written review of established goals, competencies, and overall office performance. Read more
IRB Administrators face evolving challenges in their day-to-day work, especially around setting clear expectations for human research protection policies, to clearly communicating those policies to researchers with diverse skill sets. In September 2019, I attended PRIM&R's IRB Administrator Boot Camp in Orlando, Florida to strengthen my skills and learn strategies for successfully carrying out daily responsibilities related to IRB oversight and the protection of participants in constrained contexts. I also benefited from talking with other IRB administrators, sharing ideas and experiences. Read more
PRIM&R’s 2018 IRB Administrator Boot Camp presented a good opportunity to be immersed in learning at a face-to-face event that was well-attended, but small enough to make personal connections. Read more
The IRB Administrator 201 portion of PRIM&R’s IRB Administrator Boot Camp was very insightful and provides a good opportunity to apply critical thinking skills to real life scenarios faced by other IRBs. The presentations on implementation of the revised Common Rule and single IRB review considerations are particularly relevant with regard to the anticipated changes. A great deal of templates and samples were provided as examples of how other institutions are attempting to navigate the Common Rule changes and this is certainly an area in which IRBs can learn from each other. Read more
I had the pleasure of attending PRIM&R’s IRB Administrator Boot Camp (including IRB 101 and 201) in Chicago and it was a great experience! All of us are facing new challenges and uncertainties with the Common Rule update and it is difficult to anticipate how changes will be implemented in the future. It was reassuring to hear that other institutions are optimistic about future transitions, especially concerning the not-so-distant single IRB mandate. Read more
