Introduction

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is an appointed body at California State University Maritime Academy under the sponsorship of the Research and Innovation Office (RIO), charged with the responsibility to ensure that all research involving human subjects protects the rights of those subjects. All research that involves any type of interaction with human subjects – from simple surveys to complex biomedical procedures – must be reviewed and approved by the IRB prior to starting the research.

Through the process of review and approval, the IRB fulfills institutional obligations to the federal Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and exercises ethical human subjects research practices as specified and required by federal regulations. To facilitate that process, the IRB also serves an educational role by making the campus community aware of and familiar with best practices in human subjects' research and protection.

IRB members aim to review all proposals in a timely fashion. IRB meetings will be held as needed, as determined by the Chair of the Board. If, in the judgment of the Chair, a sufficient number of research proposals exist, a meeting may be scheduled to review such proposals in a timely manner. Note, however, that a proposal will not be held longer than one month before being reviewed by the IRB, except insofar as summer recess may impact timeliness.

Revised Common Rule

The Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 46), also known as the Common Rule has been revised as of 2018. 

The Office for Human Research Protections in the Department of Health and Human Services has created a series of videos and other resources to help explain some of the new provisions and changes. The videos provide an overview of the major changes, and their website provides other educational resources including Q&A’s and guidance documents.

View the Revised Common Rule Educational Materials at: https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/education-and-outreach/revised-common-rule/index.html