Institutional Review Board
What is the Institutional Review Board and why is it important?
The IRB is a committee of physicians, statisticians, researchers, community advocates, and others that ensures that a clinical trial is ethical and that the rights of study participants are protected. All clinical trials in the United States must be approved by an IRB before they begin.
Every institution that conducts or support biomedical or behavioral research involving humans must, by federal regulation, have an IRB that initially approves and periodically reviews the research to protect the rights of people.
The consent form you receive when you are invited to be a research subject includes contact information. Please contact the IRB if you have questions at irb@bcm.edu or call 713-798-6970.