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An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee that reviews and regulates research involving human participants. The IRB is responsible for protecting participants’ rights, privacy, and welfare, evaluating the research’s benefits versus risks, ensuring that informed consent is properly obtained, and confirming that studies comply with federal and state regulations, institutional policies, and commonly accepted ethical standards. The IRB evaluates project submissions and issues official determinations—e.g., approval, requiring modifications, disapproval, or deferral—based on how well these criteria are met. Reviews may be conducted as full-board, expedited, or exempt, depending on the type of project involved.
The SUNY College of Optometry (SUNY Opt) maintains a single IRB that oversees all Human Subjects Research (HSR). While approval of a project via the Research Authorization Form (RAF) process is first required in order to submit an IRB application, the SUNY Opt IRB is the sole entity with final authority to approve human research studies at the College. Only human research projects that have both RAF approval and IRB approval may be conducted at the College.
Researchers are responsible for the timely submission of study materials and updates to the IRB, and for adhering to its determinations throughout the research process. More information on IRB policies and processes as well as access to resources and the HSR email distribution list can be found by navigating to the IRB main page.