The University Record, October 2, 1995
The 12 University units housing Human Subjects Review Committees (also known as Institutional Review Boards or IRBs) are working with the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) to reorganize and consolidate the review committee system. The new system, scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, will consist of five committees, one each at the Flint and Dearborn campuses and three on the Ann Arbor Campus.
The Medical School committee has traditionally been the most active of the 12 committees. It will continue as a separate committee, known as IRB-MED.
The second committee on the Ann Arbor campus (IRB-HLTH) represents a consolidation of the committees previously housed in the schools of Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health and Social Work. The committee offices will be located in the School of Public Health. Chairmanship of the committee will rotate among the four schools.
The third committee on the Ann Arbor campus (IRB-BehavSci) represents a consolidation of the committees previously housed in LS&A, the College of Architecture, the School of Business, the School of Education and the Institute for Social Research. The committee offices will be located in the LS&A dean’s offices. The chair of the committee will be a faculty member chosen from the Department of Psychology, but the committee will have representation from all schools under its jurisdiction. The IRB-BehavSci also will exercise oversight responsibility for the use of the student pool in the Department of Psychology.
Committee consolidation and system reorganization will allow substantial additional support for local office staffing, computer enhancements, continuing education of committee members and enhanced outreach to faculty, students and staff about protections for human subjects in research. Questions may be directed to OVPR at 763-1289.
