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Institutional Review Board

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Statement of Ethical Principles

Mission Statement

The mission of the Spelman College Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to ensure that all research involving human subjects conducted at the college or by researchers associated with the college be guided by the ethical principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice as set forth in The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects.

In particular, the IRB is committed to making sure that research conducted at, by, and for Spelman College:

  • Is done with the voluntary consent of participants who are properly informed about the risks and benefits of the study;
  • Protects the privacy and dignity of participants;
  • Minimizes the risk to study participants, while maximizing a study’s benefits;
  • Utilizes equitable procedures for participant recruitment and selection so that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, class, sexual orientation or other factor; and is sensitive to the setting in which it takes place

The Federal Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) has useful materials related to the protection of human subjects available for download.

IRB Meeting Dates
Monthly as required. Most reviews are conducted as online designated reviews throughout the year as needed.

Deadline for Submission
First day of Fall Break | First day of Spring Break

IRB Policies (PDF)

Additional Spelman Institutional Review Board Information

Record Keeping

An original copy of each submitted proposal, the IRB review results, and minutes of IRB meetings will be stored in the Office of the Associate Provost of Research, 151 Science Center. All records will be retained for at least 3 years after the completion of each approved research project and available for inspection by regulatory agencies during regular business hours (following the guidelines in the Protection of Human Subjects, 45 CFR §46.115).

Contacting the IRB

Additional information on the Spelman College IRB and the procedures for submitting proposals involving human subjects may be obtained by contacting the Research Development & Sponsored Programs (RDSP) at 404-270-5890 or by emailing irb@spelman.edu. Copies of the Protection of Human Subjects guidelines are available at the Office of Research, Innovation, and Collaboration.

Federal Wide Assurance of Protection of Human Subjects (FWA)

The Federal Wide Assurance of Compliance (FWA) is the contract that Spelman College has signed with the federal government, which allows research involving human subjects to take place.

In signing the FWA, Spelman College has agreed to the following terms:

All of the institution's human subject activities, and all human subject activities supervised by the IRB, regardless of funding source, will be guided by the ethical principles in The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research, a report of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The IRB is regarded as the final authority over human subjects research within its jurisdiction. The College commits to providing sufficient funding, meeting space, and staff to ensure that the IRB is able to perform its supervision and record-keeping duties.

In addition, FWA requires Spelman College to insure that federally supported human subjects research complies with the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (also known as the Common Rule), with the Code of Federal Regulations in 45 CFR 46 (Policy for Protection of Human Research Subjects), and any additional human subject regulations and policies of the specific supporting Department or Agency.

FWA requires the College to have written procedures (this document) for (a) verifying whether proposed activities qualify for exemption from, or waiver of, IRB review; (b) conducting IRB initial and continuing review, approving research, and reporting IRB findings to the investigator and the institution; (c) determining which projects require review more often than annually, and which projects need verification from sources other than the investigator that no material changes have occurred; (d) ensuring that changes in approved research are reported promptly and are not initiated without IRB approval, except when necessary to eliminate apparent immediate hazards to the subject; (e) documenting any instances in which the College IRB has agreed to allow another institution’s IRB to have controlling review authority; and (f) ensuring prompt reporting to the IRB, institutional officials, the relevant Department or Agency Head, any applicable regulatory body, and OHRP of any significant events such as serious and unanticipated problems involving risks to subjects or others in any covered research; serious or continuing noncompliance with Federal, institutional, or IRB requirements; and suspension or termination of IRB approval for Federally-supported research.

FWA requires the College to insure that members of the IRB will complete relevant training in and maintain continuing knowledge of relevant Federal, State and Local regulations and institutional policies before reviewing human subjects research. The IRB is also required to document such training from research investigators as a condition for conduction human subject research.

The FWA agreement requires the College to supply any or all of the above documentation on demand to the Office for Human Research Protection of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Discipline-specific Information

For discipline-specific information concerning the protection of human subjects, please click on these links:

For information about the Federal Law concerning human subject research, access the website of the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.