Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Across all disciplines on campus, Earlham students and faculty engage in collaborative and independent research projects that involve humans as subjects. Previous researchers on campus have investigated physiological and behavioral responses after learning about radon risk, collected oral histories about men’s experiences with masculinity, and conducted focus groups and interviews with stakeholders about improving the local farmer’s market.

The responsibility of the members of Earlham’s IRB is to make sure that all research involving human subjects is ethical, whether that research is conducted on our campus or by members of our campus community in locations off campus. Earlham’s values espouse respect for all persons and our IRB is one way we safeguard this value.

• Rachael Reavis (Administrative Faculty), Convener, Executive director of institutional effectiveness
• Belén Villarreal (Teaching Faculty), Associate professor of Spanish and Hispanic studies
• Yasumasa Shigenaga (Teaching Faculty), Associate professor of Japanese language
• Cathryn Dickman (Administrative Faculty), Director of wellness programs
• Nancy Seller (Community Member)
• Vacant, Student

Alternate IRB members, who serve when regular members are not available, are:

• Maggie Thomas (Teaching Faculty), Associate professor of psychology

Students and faculty conducting research involving human subjects should begin by reading through and completing the following:

• IRB Guidelines & Procedures
• Campus-wide survey policy
• Online Subject Pool Ethical Guidelines
• Successfully completing the Ethics Training Module.

The IRB typically reviews Expedited and Exempt proposals within one week. The Board meets on Fridays during the semester to review Full proposals. Full proposals must be received by Tuesday to be reviewed on the same Friday; otherwise they will be reviewed the following week. Please note that proposals submitted prior to mid-semester break will not be reviewed until the following week. The review times may be longer during the summer. Investigators may want to check in with the IRB convener to get estimates of turnaround time during the summer. During the fall semester, proposals will be accepted until the last day of class for a response prior to break. Proposals received after that time will be reviewed in January.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact [email protected].