Midwestern’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) has been formally designated to assure appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of humans participating as subjects in a research study. The board has authority to review and approve, or disapprove of any research project by students involving human subjects that does not pass or comply with standards meant to protect human subjects from abuse or ethical treatment. Research projects involving human subjects may not proceed without the approval of the IRB. The IRB is based on established requirements for the ethical conduct of human subject research:
- Respect for persons (involving a recognition of the personal dignity and autonomy of individuals, and special protection of those persons with diminished autonomy);
- Benefice (entailing an obligation to protect persons from harm by maximizing anticipated benefits and minimizing possible risks of harm); and
- Justice (requiring that the benefits and burdens of research be distributed fairly).
The decisions of the IRB are informed by these three requirements and are governed by IRB Policies and Procedures and by the Federal Policy (the “Common Rule”) codified at Title 45 Part 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Midwestern’s IRB Policies and Procedures are available by emailing docstudies@mbts.edu