What is an IRB?
At most academic institutions or organizations that conduct research, there is an oversight or ethical review group, often called an Institutional Review Board (IRB)
An IRB reviews research proposals to ensure they are designed with appropriate protections in place for its participants...aka, human subjects
How is our research overseen by IRB at OHSU?
At OHSU, we must submit for review any activities that involve collecting data from humans.
The OHSU IRB is made up of a committee of researchers, bioethicists, data scientists, medical and behavioral health practitioners, professors, and administrators.
The OHSU IRB ensures we are meeting or exceeding Federal, State, and local regulations for conducting research on or with human subjects.
Because START collects data about living humans, all of our activities are reviewed by the IRB.
This is important because it ensures our plans to collect, store, analyze, and share data include privacy and confidentiality protections, and respect autonomy and personhood.
It also means that you have the opportunity to review our research plans for yourself, and decide whether or not you want to participate, and to what degree you'd like to participate or share your information.
Important definitions:
Research is "a systematic investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.
Human subjects are "living individuals about whom an investigator conducting research obtains (1) data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or (2) identifiable private information."
Ethics are " moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of activities."
Research ethics focuses on the application of moral principles to research activities.