Centralized IRB could guide research in the aftermath of major disaster

Over the past decade, several large-scale disasters have tested emergency response teams and healthcare providers. They've also tested the research community's ability to quickly, efficiently and ethically dispatch investigators to do vital research that could help prevent and respond to future disasters.

Noncompliance: OHRP says IRBs can't "e-mail" it in

Haverford College of Haverford, PA, has spent more than a year dealing with a problem that IRBs do everything they can to avoid: a research noncompliance investigation requested by the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP).

Try out these quick tips on improving IC process

It's the little details that matter in the informed consent process.

Honest brokers collaborate to preserve patient privacy

Honest broker systems which process data and specimens for research by removing identifiers that otherwise would compromise patient privacy have been touted as a smart way to encourage research while still protecting patient privacy as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Involving the community in cancer clinical trials

More meaningfully involving communities especially minorities and other ethnic groups in clinical research isn't just good ethics it could help address under-recruitment and failure of cancer clinical trials, says one of the authors of a new report on the subject.

IRBs can help bridge community-research gap

IRBs have an important role to play in improving community involvement in cancer clinical trials everything from increasing their own community membership to working with community advisory boards and pushing for more community-friendly informed consent.

Need to sharpen up your IRB review process?

One strategy that helped a Lexington, KY, university research institution achieve full accreditation was its development of IRB approval checklists.

Compliance alliance: FDA meetings slated for 2009

A series of two-day regional conferences will be held next year focusing on Food and Drug Administration clinical trails requirements, regulations and compliance issues.

2008 Salary Survey Results: Economic woes may mean less hiring, smaller raises for IRB professionals

IRB professionals responding to IRB Advisor's 2008 Salary Survey continue to report modest salary increases and larger staffs over the previous year. But they worry that raises aren't keeping up with increasing workloads and that they and their staffs are burning out.

January 1, 2009