Institutional Review Board

Forms

Mission Statement of IRB

The Adams State University Institutional Review Board (IRB) functions as the review board for the entirety of Adams State University. Institutional Review Boards are committees mandated by the National Research Act, Public Law 93-348, and must be established within each institution that conducts biomedical or behavioral research with human participants (a separate committee is responsible for any research involving animal subjects).

Primary Function

The primary function of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to ensure protection of the rights of all human participants who participate in research endeavors conducted by Adams State faculty, professional staff, and/or students. The policies and regulations of the IRB are guided by federal rules and regulations, and are based on the Protection of Human Subjects Code of Federal Regulation, and the Belmont Report. According to 45CFR 46 – Protection of Human Subjects, at institutions receiving federal funds, all research involving human participants must be reviewed and approved by an IRB. Any research not approved by the IRB and not subject to the exceptions to IRB oversight may not be conducted on Adams State campus.

The Review Process

  1. Assess and identify the risks associated with the research, as distinguished from the risks the participants face in everyday life.
  2. Determine if the foreseeable risks to human participants are minimal.
  3. Determine if the risks of the research are within the level of accepted risks for human participants.
  4. Identify the probable benefits of the research and who the beneficiaries of these benefits may be.
  5. Determine if the risks are reasonable when weighed against the benefits of the research.
  6. Assure that human participants are fully informed of all risks of the research, all benefits of the research, and what protections will be afforded to them should they select to take part in the research.
  7. Identify and enact a reasonable period of review and ensure that collected data is stored and destroyed in an appropriate manner.

In Reviewing Research Proposals, the IRB will not

  1. Render judgment on the quality of the research that has been proposed so long as that quality does not cause a risk to the human participants.
  2. Advocate for or against specific research projects because of departmental, political, or personal interests.

Members of the IRB are expected to protect the integrity of the IRB process when conducting these duties. Faculty, professional staff, and students of Adams State are expected to protect the integrity of the IRB process when conducting research affiliated with Adams State.

Membership

An Institutional Review Board (IRB) committee member represents a distinct area of research. Each member serves as the contact person for his or her respective area of research. Prior to initiating research at Adams State University, faculty members, professional staff members, and students are required to first determine which discipline their research would be categorized. Once the area of research is determined, the researchers should consult the appropriate IRB member for all questions and submissions to the IRB.

Note: If a conflict of interest exists with the IRB member who represents your discipline or if the research being planned is outside of any of the disciplines represented on the committee, researchers should direct all questions and submissions to the Chair of the committee:

  • Dr. Jacek Jonca-Jasinski, Chair
  • Dr. Jeff Elison, Psychology
  • Dr. Brian Zuleger, Kinesiology
  • Dr. Neil Rigsbee, Counselor Education
  • Dr. Alice Burch, Nursing
  • Dr. Michelle Mann, Education
  • Dr. Liz Hensley, Business