Educational Conference Call Series on Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and Ethical Issues in Research

Jointly sponsored by:
Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) and the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care (the Bioethics Center)

The series is intended to increase understanding of the role of IRBs and other mechanisms for assuring that human subjects research is ethical and appropriate - both at individual and community levels. The aim of the series is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the options and tools necessary for communities to determine the approach that is best for them. The series will also inform the development of future initiatives undertaken by CCPH and the Bioethics Center on IRBs and ethical issues in community-campus partnerships.

Online registration is now open for all calls in the series. Please see details below. The calls are free, but the number of incoming lines is limited. To maximize participation, we encourage gathering colleagues to dial-in together using one phone line with speaker phone capabilities. Those completing the online form will be notified as to whether their registration is confirmed, and sent instructions for dialing into the call. Handouts and digital audiofiles will be posted on the CCPH website at www.ccph.info shortly after each call takes place.

If you have comments and suggestions on the call series, including ideas for additional call topics, please contact CCPH Program Director Kristine Wong (kristine@u.washington.edu).

Call #1 entitled "What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and What Purpose Does it Serve?" took place on February 14, 2007. An audiofile of the call and other resources are available at:
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pastpresentations.html

Call #2 – entitled "Highlighting the Importance of the Non-Affiliated (Community) IRB Member" took place on March 14, 2007. An audiofile of the call and other resources are available at:
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pastpresentations.html

Call #3 - entitled "Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Proposals and the Human Subjects Review Process: Methods for Working with University IRBs" took place on April 18, 2007. An audiofile of the call and other resources are available at:
http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pastpresentations.html

Call #4 - entitled "Beyond the University IRB: Understanding Alternative Models for Human Protection, Part I: Supplementing the IRB for Community Protection with a Community Advisory Board" took place on May 7, 2007. An audiofile of the call and other resources are available at: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pastpresentations.html

Call #5 - entitled "Beyond the University IRB: Understanding Alternative Models for Human Protections, Part II: Creating an Independent Community IRB - When is it Right for You?" took place on May 24, 2007. An audiofile of the call and other resources are available at: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pastpresentations.html

Call #6 - entitled "IRB Reform: Changing Policy and Practice to Protect Communities" took place on Monday, June 25, 2007. An audiofile of the call and other resources are available at: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pastpresentations.html

ABOUT THE CO-SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health and the Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care have established a partnership to advance their shared goal of meaningfully involving communities in decisions made about every aspect of research. In particular, the partnership is focused on engaging Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the communities they serve. The first outcome of the partnership is a jointly sponsored Educational Conference Call Series on Institutional Review Boards and Ethical Issues in Research.

Community-Campus Partnerships for Health promotes health (broadly defined) through partnerships between communities and higher educational institutions. Founded in 1996, CCPH is a growing network of over 1,300 communities and campuses across North America and increasingly the world that are collaborating to promote health through service-learning, community-based participatory research, broad-based coalitions and other partnership strategies. What ties CCPH members together is their commitment to social justice and their passion for the power of partnerships to transform communities and academe. CCPH advances its mission by disseminating information, providing training and technical assistance, conducting research and evaluations, developing and influencing policies, and building coalitions. Learn more about CCPH at www.ccph.info

The Tuskegee University National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care, promotes racial and ethnic diversity in the field of bioethics and in public debates about bioethical issues. Established in 1999, its mission is to promote equity and justice in health and health care. The Bioethics Center is the nation's first bioethics center dedicated to addressing bioethical issues of importance to African Americans and other underserved populations. It is also the only bioethics center at a Historically Black College and University. The Bioethics Center carries out its mission by conducting education and training programs, fostering respectful community partnerships, advancing interdisciplinary research, and advocating public policies that improve the health and health care of all Americans, particularly the underserved. Learn more about the Bioethics Center at http://www.tuskegee.edu/Global/category.asp?C=35026