IRB Advisor – March 1, 2012
March 1, 2012
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IRB offices face staffing changes as leaders age
IRB offices have evolved in the past 15 years. Early IRB offices often had limited support staff. But as the field of human subjects protection evolved, IRB offices' staffing needs increased, creating IRB office leadership roles and the need for more IRB coordinators and other support staff. -
Career tracks can benefit any size office
IRB offices that have more than one employee should also create a career track that helps staff develop leadership and other skills, experts say.A career track also can improve staff morale and improve retention by giving employees a way to move up without moving out. -
Create "recipes" of job roles
IRB offices seeking to create a sustainable leadership role might need to re-organize, examining their current processes and culture, experts suggest. -
Study suggests need for more clarity in IC process
Researchers and IRBs should pay close attention to informed consent comprehension among all research participants, but this is especially true of people from a high-risk population. -
Presidential commission promotes reforms
Add another voice to the national conversation on improving protection of research participants: The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, which recently released its recommendations for reforming federal oversight of human subjects research. -
Improving access, ethics
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues offered 14 recommendations for improving oversight of human subjects research: -
Audit toolbag puts focus on improvement
Like many institutions, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) uses audits of studies to find areas in human subjects protection that need improvement and to educate researchers to address them.