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
In August, the RAND Corporation, a policy research organization, released the first comprehensive profile of IRB demographics and function in 20 years: a “Profile of Institutional Review Board Characteristics Prior to the 2019 Implementation of the Revised Common Rule.” The report investigates questions about IRB practices, efficiency, and effectiveness on the cusp of implementation of the revised federal regulations, including single IRB review. (In December of 2017, PRIM&R helped get the word out to potential survey respondents.) Read more
Over 2,500 research ethics professionals from the federal government, industry, and academia attended PRIM&R’s 2018 Advancing Ethical Research conference. The number of people attending the conference was thrilling to observe. I could not help but feel pride at seeing the many individuals tasked with maintaining ethical standards at various institutions. At the conclusion of one of the panel sessions, I was inspired to video record my day (using Hyperlapse, a time-lapse recording app). Read more
