Baruch Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Hannah Rothstein, Chair
Keisha Peterson, Administrator
Psychology Department
55 Lexington Avenue, 8th Floor,
Room 8-215
Box B 8-215, New York, NY 10010
- About the Baruch IRB
- Current Members and Staff
- Does Your Project Warrant IRB Review?
- Computer Based Training
- IRB Application Submission
- IRB Approval Process
Professional ethics requires protection of research participants, and in addition federal law mandates that researchers working with human subjects acquire approval of an institutional review board.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a Baruch body consisting of faculty and one community member which must approve in advance all human subjects research involving Baruch personnel. The mission of the Baruch IRB is to facilitate quality research, with quality in this context emphasizing balancing risks and benefits for subjects.
A researcher at Baruch must complete computer based training and prior to each new research study submit an application to the Baruch Institutional Review Board. In brief, the application asks for concise descriptions of a study’s purposes, design and procedures. Important criteria for IRB approval include voluntary participation, confidentiality, informed consent, and limited risk.
- Lauren Block – Marketing
- Harry Brent – English
- David Kossey – Community Member
- Thomas Main – Public Affairs
- Jaihyun Park - Psychology
- Keisha Peterson – Administrator
- Hannah Rothstein - Management
- Shoshanna Sofaer – Public Affairs
- Kristin Sommer - Psychology
Does Your Project Warrant IRB Review?
If a study is designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge, and if it involves obtaining information from or about living individuals, the project requires advance IRB approval.
Such projects include funded and non-funded questionnaire, interview, qualitative, secondary, and experimental research. Pilot projects need review. In-class exercises done wholly for pedagogical purposes need not be submitted for prior IRB review, and institutional research that is not disseminated externally does not require approval. Research conducted by faculty, staff and students needs IRB approval.
Computer Based Training – Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI)
CITI, the computer based training taken by CUNY researchers, research assistants, and other key personnel consists of several topical modules offered for distinct user groups. While the entire training requires three to four hours, modules can be completed separately.
Individuals can access CITI at www.citiprogram.org. If you have any questions regarding the CITI requirements, please contact the IRB Administrator.
After completing training and prior to undertaking a study, researchers should submit an CUNY IRB application to acquire approval for data collection from or about human subjects. Beginning September 1st, all applications must be submitted via IRB Manager.
Researchers can email the completed application as an attachment to the Baruch IRB via Keisha.Peterson@baruch.cuny.edu. Please include pertinent materials such as recruiting announcements, surveys, informed consent documents, and debriefing statements.
Before submitting your application, please use the IRB Application Checklist to make sure that you have included all of the required documents. This will prevent delays which will result in a longer review time.
The Baruch IRB approval process consists of administrative and academic components. The IRB Administrator confirms the researcher’s IRB training status, determines if the study involves vulnerable populations, and assesses any implications of external funding or other institutions’ involvement.
The IRB then examines the researcher’s brief description of the study’s objectives, design, and procedures by focusing on identification of subjects, voluntary participation, potential risks and benefits, deception, informed consent, and confidentiality.
Two IRB members review each submitted application and within three weeks researchers receive any requests for revisions. Upon acquiring the revised application, the IRB awards approval that generally endures for one year and which can be renewed through a simple process. During the year researchers can seek approval of modifications to their study through a brief amendment procedure.
Due to the high volume of applications, when making revisions to a previously submitted application at the request of the IRB, please combine all revisions into one document, and use a filename that includes the protocol number, your name and the date, before sending it back to the IRB.
Please highlight the changes on your application or attach a written summary of revisions when resubmitting your revised application to the IRB.
Last Updated on 9/2/08
