Past EventNMBio January 27 Meeting -What Are Institutional Review Boards Really?

Join us January 27 for an important presentation by Erica Heath, founder of Independent Review Consulting (now part of Ethical and Independent Review Services LLC)

Institutional review boards (also known as an independent ethics committee (IEC), ethical review board (ERB) or research ethics board (REB)), are well known to anyone doing research but most know it as a black box into which a study is put and out of which come questions and, ultimately, approvals.  Although this lack of transparency will likely not change, there are many changes happening and predicted in the world of human subject protections. 

The topic of much current discussion is the move to use of central review.  This is coming but with it there will be many intended and unintended consequences. Genetic analysis is becoming a part of many studies and in each one it poses problems.  Because it is an evolving field, there is no one answer but there are some tools to consider when submitting to whatever IRB you need to use.

Erica Heath, MBA, CIP

Erica founded Independent Review Consulting (IRC) in 1984 and was president until it became a part of Ethical and Independent Review Services, LLC. where she is now regulatory director.  She has spent her career working in the field of protection of human research subjects in both clinical and non-clinical research.  Within this field she is known for her expertise in IRB administration and review of medical devices. 

Erica earned her BA from San Jose State University and her MBA from Golden Gate University.  She served on the Accreditation Council for the Association for Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for 7 years and is currently on the Council of Certified IRB Professionals.