MISSION

The Boston College Institutional Review Board's (IRB) mission is to protect the rights and welfare of people who take part in research at Boston College. Federal regulations and University Policy require prospective review and approval of all human subject research conducted by faculty, staff, or students.  As with Boston College's Jesuit tradition of excellence, service and beneficence, the goal of the IRB is to ensure the safe and ethical treatment of research participants.

FORMS

Where do I find application forms?

Where do I find sample consent forms?

Who is on the IRB?

How do I get help and information on the status of my application?

Call the Office for Research Protections (ORP). ORP staff will help you navigate your way through the IRB process.
(617) 552-4778

Office for Research Protections (ORP)

Waul House, 3rd Floor
Office Phone:  617-552-4778
Office Fax:  617-552-0498
Email:  irb@bc.edu

ORP Staff

Director - Dr. Stephen Erickson: ericksst@bc.edu
Assistant Director - Carolyn O'Connor: oconnatu@bc.edu
Research Analyst - Tammy Lopez: lopezta@bc.edu
Graduate Student Assistant-Logan Shapiro: logan.shapiro@bc.edu 

NEWS & INFORMATION

NEW! Follow us on Twitter: @BC_IRB

View our Newsletter ARCHIVE

Online Ethics Training Courses:
The BC IRB Training Policy requires all research personnel to complete an online ethics training program either through CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) or NIH (National Institutes of Health) and attach copies of the training certificates to all IRB applications. Please review the BC IRB Training Policy for more details. Below you will find instructions for completing the CITI and NIH training courses. 

Instructions for CITI:
Enter the site. Create a user name and password. Main Menu. Add a course. Basic Courses in the Protection of Human Research Subjects. Social and Behavioral Focus. NOTE: we do not accept the responsible conduct of research course.

Refresher course: Log-in. Add a course. Social and Behavioral Research Investigators. Refresher course.

Instructions for NIH:
Enter the site. Create a user name and password. Complete the Protecting Human Research Participants modules and print a copy of your training certificate. NIH does not offer a refresher course at this time.

Reminders:
The ORP staff cannot send protocols for IRB review until they are complete, i.e. that the protocol application form is completely filled out, that all required and associated documents are included, and the signature page has been sent either by email or fax (2-0498) to ORP for inclusion in the protocol application.

Please remember to submit training certificates for all research staff with your application. Please note that the only training certificates that are accepted from the CITI program are the Biomedical or Social/Behavioral CITI modules.

Continuing Review:
Protocols are approved for one year and must be renewed prior to the expiration date. PIs are sent a reminder notice 60 Days in advance of the IRB expiration date.  All protocols expire automatically if a Continuing Review Report is not submitted to the IRB.

IRB Meeting Dates & Deadlines