Institutional Review Board at GRCC

The National Research Act, Public Law 93-348, mandates that an institutional review board (IRB), or human subjects committee, must be established by any university that receives federal funding for biomedical or behavioral research. Institutions found to be in non-compliance with regulations can lose federal funding of both its research and student programs. In its broadest sense the purpose of the IRB is to protect the rights and safety of human subjects. In fulfilling its task the IRB must carefully examine research proposals to arrive at an independent determination that the research will meet the following ethical criteria:

• Risks to subjects are minimized.
• Risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits.
• Selection of subjects is equitable.
• Informed consent is sought from each prospective subject or the subject's legally authorized representative.
• Informed consent is appropriately documented.
• When appropriate, the research plan makes adequate provision for monitoring the data collected, to ensure the safety of subjects.
• When appropriate, there are adequate provisions to protect the privacy of subjects, and to maintain the confidentiality of data.
• Additional safeguards are included to ensure that members of vulnerable populations (e.g., children, prisoners, pregnant women, mentally disabled persons, or economically or educationally disadvantaged persons) are not the subject of coercion or undue influence.

Application Materials

• Research Proposal Application
• Amendment Request

Applications submitted after the final submission date risk delayed review due to lack of quorum. 

Final Reports are required for expedited or full committee review approved studies. If you need a template for this reporting effort, please contact the GRCC IRB at institutionalreviewboard@grcc.edu.

Meetings and Application Materials Due Dates

GRCC's IRB committee plans to review applications September through April. Application materials are due by the 5th of the each month during the academic year for studies that may be expedited or require full committee review. For potentially exempt studies, the timeline is more fluid. The table below specifies the monthly due dates for timely review, indication of whether a full IRB meeting was required, and how many applications were received.

IRB Composition

Each IRB is required to have at least five members with sufficient diversity with respect to gender, race, cultural background and professional expertise. Each IRB must include members whose primary concerns are in scientific areas and in nonscientific areas and at least one member not affiliated with the institution. The diversity of IRB membership should enable it to assess the ethical acceptability of a research proposal with respect to its:

• Scientific merit
• Sensitivity to community attitudes
• Safeguarding of research participants rights and welfare
• Institutional commitments and obligations
• Applicable law (risk management)
• Standards of professional conduct and practice

2026-27 Members

• Sophie Rubin, co-chair
• Amanda Kruzona, co-chair
• Derek Bolen
• Lisa Dopke
• Dan Groh
• Tim Hoving
• Nathaniel Lloyd
• Cedric Williams
• VACANT - External member

Contact

To submit IRB documents and supporting materials, or if you have questions about the IRB process, please email institutionalreviewboard@grcc.edu.