Institutional Review Board (IRB)

INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD (IRB)

The Lakeland Regional Health IRB is a committee of scientists, non-scientists, and community members who review research involving human subjects to ensure the welfare and rights of research participants are protected as mandated by federal and state laws, local policies, and ethical principles.

Expert review of research protocols is carried out to ensure that research is well designed and likely to yield generalizable knowledge, and that risks are commensurate with benefits and accurately disclosed to research participants. The IRB has the authority to approve, require modifications, disapprove, suspend, terminate, and observe the consenting process for research that falls within its scope of review.

LRHMC IRB #: IRB00002126

LRHMC FWA #: FWA00002092

Contact Us

Want to Request a Consultation?

You may contact our office to schedule a meeting for guidance on your application. Consultations can help researchers avoid common mistakes and expedite the review process. These advisory consultations can help researchers navigate the IRB’s requirements, policies, procedures, and ethical issues. 

Documents, Policies, and Resources

The LRH IRB provides ethical oversight to all activities that meet the regulatory definitions of research involving human subjects.  The LRH IRB complies with both the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) definitions and requirements for IRB review of all research. 

The HIPAA Privacy Rule permits the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to provide a waiver of authorization pursuant to 45 CFR 164.512(i) that the information requested is the minimum necessary for the research purpose.

To determine which activities require review by the LRH IRB see Research That Must be Reviewed by the IRB-AD.0162. 

All persons who are or will be involved in the conduct of human subjects research are required to complete human subjects research training. IRB approval will not be provided if these requirements are not met.  These requirements apply to all persons with a role in the research (e.g., Principal Investigators, Co-Investigators, Project Managers or Research Assistants) and who are designated to:

    • Recruit potential research participants
    • Obtain informed consent from prospective research participants
    • Interact or intervene with participants to collect research data
    • Access identifiable research data

To determine what your training requirements are, depending on your discipline, see Research: Investigator, Research Personnel, IRB Member, IRB Administrator, and Institutional Official Training-AD.0161

CITI Program Training for IRB Requirements

    • LRH uses the CITI Program courses to satisfy Human Subjects Research training requirements. 
    • Access and Register for CITI Program Training here: Research, Ethics, Compliance, and Safety Training
    • Select “Log In Through My Organization” and select Lakeland Regional Medical Center Inc
    • Select “Add a Course” and answer the questions based on your discipline/project requirements 
    • CITI Training Instructions

All new human subjects research must be reviewed by the IRB prior to the commencement of any study activity. Once IRB approval or determination has been granted, researchers must follow IRB Policies and Procedures for follow-on submissions during the course of their research study to remain in compliance. Examples of follow-on submissions include modifications, continuing reviews (when applicable), and reportable new information reports.

Cayuse Human Ethics is the IRB electronic cloud-based protocol management platform used for submission, review, and maintenance of all initial human subjects research applications, as well as NHSR determinations, modifications, renewals, and reporting incidents. 

Cayuse Human Ethics

Checking your Cayuse Human Ethics Application Status

  • Unsubmitted: Application has not been submitted for review.
  • Awaiting Certification: Application process is incomplete. The PI must log into the study and click on complete submission, confirm, and certify to complete the submission process for the application to be reviewed.
  • Reopened: Application has been reviewed, and edits are pending from the PI. Refer to the letters tab for required changes.
  • Approved: Application has IRB approval, and research may begin.
  • Withdrawn: Application is no longer active. A new application will need to be submitted.

NHSR

    • To request a NHSR Determination, submit an initial application into the Cayuse Human Ethics platform. 
    • NHSR studies do not require continuing review. 
    • Primary Investigators should submit a request to close the study in Cayuse when the study is finished.
    • For more information, see SOP: Research NHSR

Exempt

    • Federal regulations identify several different categories of minimal risk research as being exempt from the regulations. This does not mean that they are exempt from IRB review, only that some of the federal requirements that apply to non-exempt studies are not applicable to studies deemed exempt. For example, exempt studies are not required to obtain written informed consent and are not required to submit modifications prior to implementation (unless they may affect the exempt status of the study).
    • For more information, see SOP: Research Exempt Review.

Expedited

    • Expedited review falls under the full scope of the regulation and must fall into one of the expedited review categories.
    • All expedited studies must adhere to the requirements for informed consent or its waiver, or alteration. 
    • Expedited studies may or may not be required to undergo continuing review. 
    • All modifications must be approved by the IRB prior to implementation, unless they are necessary for the immediate safety of participants.
    • For more information, see SOP: Research Expedited Review. 

Full Board Review

    • Studies that are not eligible for expedited review (do not meet the definition of minimal risk and/or do not fit into an expedited category) must be reviewed by the convened IRB.
    • All full board studies must adhere to the requirements for informed consent or its waiver or alteration. Full board studies must undergo continuing review at least annually. 
    • All modifications must be approved by the IRB prior to their implementation, unless they are necessary for the immediate safety of participants.
    • For more information, see SOP: Research Full Board Review.

IRB Oversight and Administration

Protocol Submission and Meeting Administration

IRB Review of Research

Additional Protections for Special Populations

Recruitment and Consent Process

Research Compliance

Guidance

IRB Dates and Deadlines

    • The deadline for submitting completed applications to the IRB office is the 1st Thursday of every month. 
    • IRB members receive the full board meeting materials on the 2nd Thursday of every month.   
    • The IRB full board meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month. 

IRB Review Fees

LRH Guidance Documents

Office of Human Research Protections

Food and Drug Administration

For Participants

If you have a question regarding your rights as a research participant, you may reach our IRB Administrator via email at LRH.IRB@myLRH.org.