Composition of the Institutional Review Board
The IRB consists of at least five members appointed by the Dean of the College in accordance with the membership composition requirements established by the OHRP. All are voting members of the IRB. The membership requirements listed below are intended to ensure that the IRB membership possesses sufficient knowledge of the local research context, as well as breadth of background and experience.
- One member of the community unaffiliated with the College.
- One member from the Department of Psychology.
- One faculty or administrative staff member selected from a non-science discipline.
Additional members as appropriate to provide diversity (with consideration of race, gender, and cultural background), representation across academic divisions of the College, and sensitivity to community attitudes.
Each IRB member will absent her/himself from deliberations on any protocol in which s/he has a conflicting interest (i.e., s/he is the Principal Investigator (PI), Co-PI, has some financial interest, etc.); this action will be noted in the minutes. All Principal Investigators, however, may meet with the IRB in advance of its review to provide information or answer questions about the project. Such an advance meeting may occur either at the request of the IRB or the Principal Investigator.
In full reviews, decisions will be reached by a simple majority of the voting members. The records of the IRB will include all votes pertaining to research protocols in the following format: “Total Votes”; number of votes “For;” number of votes “Opposed;” number of votes “Abstained.”
IRB Board Members
Questions? Contact the Wabash IRB Chair Dr. Karen L. Gunther, Professor of Psychology
Telephone: 765/361-6286, Email: guntherk@wabash.edu