The University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for oversight of all human subject research conducted by staff, faculty and students at the University of Pittsburgh and the UPMC institutions. See Chapter 7 of the IRB Policies and Procedures for specific information. The IRB always welcomes new members. You can be a member of the Pittsburgh community, faculty, staff or student of the University or just be interested in research. The Unversity of Pittsburgh IRB is committed to diversity to build an inclusive research program and infrastructure. Email askirb@pitt.edu for more information.
IRB Committee Composition
The Pitt IRB is made up of six main multi-disciplinary committees, two specialty committees (one for continuing review and one for emergency exceptions), and an Executive Committee that reviews regluatory and compliance issues as well as policies and procedures. Each committee meets at least once per month. The six main committees are made up experts in medical, social, and behavioral research community. The members may be faculty physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists or other health care professionals.
Each committee must have a community member who is not otherwise affiliated with Pitt or UPMC. Community members are not required to have a scientific background. In fact, most have no scientific background. Each brings their individual knowledge and community experiences to the discussion to reflect the perspective of the volunteer research participants. Learn more about community member service on the Community Member Frequently Asked Questions page.
IRB service provides an outlet to learn more about good research practices, ethical issues and the University of Pittsburgh research community, in general. Each member has a voice in discussing the ethical, scientific and community concerns of each study before the committee.
Watch this short video to learn more about the role of IRBs.