All research performed at Adelphi or by Adelphi faculty, staff or students that involve humans as subjects must be reviewed by the IRB.

Some research may be found to be exempt from review—such as when you use secondary data and no identifying information will be recorded and most educational testing and surveys—but it is up to the IRB to determine if a proposed study is exempt.

The Institutional Review Board is an administrative body established to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the institution with which it is affiliated.

DHHS, OPRR, Protecting Human Research Subjects: Insitutional Review Board Guidebook

What is Human Subjects Research?

Human subjects research is defined as any activity intended to obtain and record information from or about individuals for research purposes.

Read the Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research

Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Adelphi

Qualifying Research at Adelphi

The IRB considers research as any type of systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. If you are not intending to generalize from the data you are collecting, the IRB does not consider it research. For example, oral histories are not considered research. Surveys to assess satisfaction with a program or unit within the University are not considered research for the purposes of an IRB.

IRB Review and Approval Process

  • Researchers must submit their proposed research (via the IRB review form) by the 10th of the month.
  • Adelphi’s IRB usually meets once a month during the academic year, and once over the summer.

The IRB committee meets to discuss and decide on applications, usually on the fourth Monday of the same month. The proposal is then read by all members of the committee, though primary responsibility for review and communication back to the investigator goes to a three-person review team, one of whom is designated the lead. Decisions are relayed via email by the lead reviewer within 48 hours of the IRB committee meeting.

Applications are either approved, approved pending revisions or not approved. If your application is approved pending revisions, you have 45 days to submit your application with changes; this will be reviewed by the three-person review team within a week of submission and a decision rendered. If your proposal is not approved, you must resubmit your improved application in a new cycle. If your proposal is approved, you may begin your work immediately.

Adelphi IRB Members

The IRB committee consists of at least one representative from each of the colleges/schools and one community member. There is a minimum of eight and a maximum of 15 members, and they vary as much as possible according to race, ethnicity, gender and other professional or cultural identification.

Current IRB Board

Robert B. Willumstad School of Business

TBD

Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology

Carolyn Springer, PhD

Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences

Michael O’Loughlin, PhD
Robert Otto, PhD
Stephen Shore, EdD

College of Arts and Sciences

Mario Tomei, MD

College of Nursing and Public Health

Patricia Donohue-Porter, PhD
A. Hasan Sapci, MD
Zainab Toteh Osakwe, PhD

School of Social Work

Geoffrey Ream, PhD
Latasha Smith, PhD

Institutional Review Board Forms and Resources

Institutional Review Board Manual

The IRB manual contains policies, resources, guidelines and other information useful for researchers. This comprehensive manual covers topics such as:

  • Informed consent
  • Review protocols
  • Audits
  • HIPAA and research
  • Anonymous surveys
  • Internet research policy and social media
Dawn Grzan
Director of Research and Sponsored Programs
Contact
Phone Number
Location
Levermore Hall 307D
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