Institutional Review Board

Mission Statement

The responsibility of the Marist Institutional Review Board (IRB) works with the College research community to help ensure that human subjects engaged in research are treated with dignity adequately protected from risk of harm; and voluntarily give informed consent to participate in research.

For the purpose of this policy “human subject research” means any activity that meets the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) definition of “research” and involves “human subjects” as defined by OHRP. The IRB follows the ethical principals found in the Belmont Report and codified in CFR 45 Part 46.

Before any work may begin on a research protocol, the IRB must review and approve the research.

The IRB reviews all changes to research protocols before implementation. In accordance with federal regulations, the IRB has the authority to suspend or terminate approval of research that is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s decisions, conditions, and requirements, or that has been associated with unexpected serious harm to subjects.

The IRB must conduct some form of risk-benefit analysis of all human subject research in an attempt to determine whether or not research should be done.

The Marist College IRB also reviews research conducted by outside investigators involving Marist College students, personnel, records, or facilities. Researchers not affiliated with Marist College, who wish to come onto the Marist College campus, or use Marist records to identify potential subjects, must either provide the IRB with a previously approved application from an IRB at an institution with an FWA or submit a new application to the Marist College IRB. The outside researchers must have approval from the Marist College IRB before they access Marist College records or contact Marist College students or personnel.