Welcome to UTHSC IRB Website
WELCOME TO THE IRB PAGE
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center has provided a formal guarantee (Federal Wide Assurance) to the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that it will follow procedures which will assure the protection of all
human subjects participating in research projects. This guarantee applies to all human subjects research conducted by
anyone on the premises of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and to research conducted elsewhere by
faculty, students, staff or other representatives of the University.
In order to comply with this assurance, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has established an
institutional committee competent to review research projects that involve human subjects. Under the provisions of the
HHS Regulations for Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 46) and similar FDA Regulations (21 CFR 50 and 56), this
committee has been designated as the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and consists of representatives from UTHSC and
the surrounding community.
The primary function of the IRB is to assist the investigator in the protection of the rights and welfare of human
subjects. It is necessary for others who are independent of the research to share the responsibility for determining
the standards for ethical conduct of research involving human subjects. Investigators, however, carry primary
responsibility for assuring that research protocols measure up to standards established by the IRB.
Before a human subjects research project is initiated, it must first be reviewed and approved by the IRB and then
conducted in full compliance with Federal Regulations. There can be no exceptions to this requirement, since
violations may result in serious repercussions for the institution and the investigator.
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