What is the Indiana University Human Research Protection Program (HRPP)?
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are made up of a group of people with varying backgrounds and are responsible for the review and approval, or disapproval, of research involving human subjects. IRBs were established to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects by reviewing research with safety in mind.
The day-to-day operations of the IU IRBs are administered and supported by the IU Human Subjects Office (HSO), a unit of the IU HRPP. Like the IRB, HSO staff have varying backgrounds. Some HSO staff, also known as screeners, conduct preliminary review of all research submitted to the IRB to ensure that it is in an acceptable form for the IRB to review. HSO staff provide guidance to researchers as to whether an activity requires IRB review; however, HSO staff may consult with IRB members with any questions. The Quality Improvement Office, also a unit of the HRPP, conduct not-for-cause and for-cause audits of human subjects research. Additionally, HRPP staff are available to answer questions, and offer educational and training opportunities to researchers as it relates to human subjects research.
IU HRPP staff, processes, and resources are evaluated on an ongoing basis with a focus on developing methods to measure and improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the program, and adjusted as needed. Feedback from the research community is always welcome and can be provided by contacting the IU HRPP office directly or by providing feedback here. Additionally, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) engages in community outreach activities which are designed to engage patients throughout all phases of research. These community outreach activities are periodically evaluated by CTSI in collaboration with the HRPP to identify areas of improvement.
To contact an IU HRPP staff member directly, contact information can be found here.
IU HRPP Mission Statement:
The mission of the Indiana University Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) is to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects. Rather than ensuring mere compliance with federal regulations, the IU HRPP strives to adhere to the highest ethical standards in its protection of human research subjects and seeks to further develop the methods and mechanisms for protecting human research subjects. The HRPP achieves this by:
- creating an atmosphere of respect for, and awareness of, the rights and welfare of human research subjects at IU and its affiliated organizations,
- informing researchers about changes to and ongoing application of federal regulations and ethical principles to their particular area of research in order to keep researchers current with evolving standards,
- educating students, faculty, and staff who conduct research about the ethical principles and federal regulations guiding research with humans,
- assessing the effectiveness of the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in carrying out this mission, and
- developing new approaches that better serve the mission of the HRPP, such as state-of-the-art educational materials, more efficient methods for processing applications, tracking and monitoring research activities, and assessing the overall effectiveness of the HRPP.
The Indiana University Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are responsible for the review and approval of research involving human subjects conducted by Indiana University and its affiliate institutions. IRBs are charged with protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects recruited to participate in research activities and to ensure compliance with applicable university and organizational policies and federal regulations.
The IU IRBs are responsible for reviewing research projects involving human subjects that are conducted by IU faculty, staff, and students or employees and staff of IU-affiliate institutions that have contracted with the IU IRBs for review. In addition, the IU IRBs may review research protocols on behalf of other institutions with which IU has written reliance agreements.
IU holds one Federalwide Assurance (FWA000003544) for research conducted on its seven campuses. While IU’s FWA commits to apply the Common Rule and its subparts only to federally-funded research, the IU HRPP Policies and the ethical principles governing review of human subjects research apply to all research regardless of funding source except where noted. The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) has approved the registration of four IU IRBs. The following IU IRBs are registered in accordance with 45 CFR 46 Subpart E and 21 CFR 56.106:
- IRB00000220 – Indianapolis IRB-01 (noncompliance committee and social/behavioral research) chaired by Dr. William Kronenberger
- IRB00000219 – Indianapolis IRB-04 (biomedical research) chaired by Dr. Michael Turik
- IRB00004960 – Indianapolis IRB-07 (ad hoc emergency review only) chaired by Dr. Christopher Fausel
- IRB00000222 – Bloomington IUB IRB (social/behavioral/educational research) chaired by Dr. Debra Herbenick
