IRB Member Selection and Appointment
IRB members are appointed by the Institutional Official (IO) in consultation with the IRB Executive Chair. IRB members receive an appointment letter after their appointment is confirmed. IRB members serve 3 year renewable terms. There are no term limits.
Upon completion of a member’s term, the IRB Executive Chair, Chair(s) and Vice-Chair(s) will determine whether an additional term is offered. Members may resign at any time by submitting a request in writing to the IRB Executive Chair. The IRB Executive Chair reserves the right to remove a member if they are not able to complete the necessary responsibilities.
IRB Member Responsibilities
- Attend and participate in monthly IRB meetings
- Serve as a reviewer of items at the meeting as assigned (including new protocols, continuing review, and any changes or incident reports)
- Serve as an expedited reviewer
- Serve on IRB sub-committees as needed
- Maintain current knowledge of applicable regulations, laws, and institutional policies
- Engage in HRPP educational activities (including in-service training at IRB meetings, annual IRB conference, and review of information distributed at IRB meetings)
Alternate Member Responsibilities
The responsibilities above apply to alternate members.
In addition, the alternate member:
- May serve as a voting member when the regular member is unavailable
- Will receive and review the same materials as the regular member prior to the IRB meeting
The alternate may substitute for the regular IRB member for an entire meeting or at any time during a meeting.
IRB Chair & Vice Chair Responsibilities
The IRB Chair and Vice Chair are appointed by the IO, in consultation with the IRB Executive Chair, for a renewable 3 year term.
The responsibilities listed of an IRB member apply to the IRB Chair and Vice Chair.
In addition, the IRB Chair and Vice Chair will:
- Have at least 4 years (Chair) or 2 years (Vice Chair) of IRB experience
- Provide leadership and guidance to the IRB
- Conduct the convened IRB meeting
- For Vice Chair, assume the duties of the IRB Chair when the IRB Chair is not available or has a conflict
- Conduct a review of the IRB minutes
- Assist with the annual evaluation of IRB members