ISP: Independent Scholarly Project Resources & Services

Not all ISP projects require IRB approval - make sure you talk to your mentor and/or other ISP contact people (Dr. Timpone and Meskerem Lloyd).

The IRB, or Institutional Review Board, provides an approval process for all biomedical, social, and behavioral research conducted at Georgetown.  In order to protect human subjects and comply with Federal law and institutional policy, the Board requires the following criteria for IRB Approval:

1. The risks to subjects are minimized as much as possible.
2. The risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits.
3. The informed consent is adequate.
4. Where appropriate, the research plan makes provisions for the safety of the subjects during the data collection process.
5. Where appropriate, there are adequate provisions to protect the privacy of subjects and maintain confidentiality of data.
6. Appropriate safeguards are included within the study to protect the rights and welfare of the vulnerable subjects.

(List taken from http://ora.georgetown.edu/irb/)

Many researchers dread the IRB Process, but having information helps your approval move more smoothly & quickly!

Some research may be exempt from the IRB approval process, if it meets certain criteria.

There are five individual IRB Committees at GUMC. The links below provide current membership listings & scheduled meeting dates.