Research Integrity Office (RIO)

Our AAHRPP accredited IRB reviews and monitors all TTUHSC research involving human subjects. The board evaluates risks to subjects and compliance with federal regulations and institutional policies.

The primary IRB page for current students and team members lives on HSCHub. For more information, contact us at irb@ttuhsc.edu.

Administered through the TTUHSC Research Integrity office, TTUHSC IRBs review research involving human subjects. All human research studies are reviewed by the IRB before they begin and throughout the project to evaluate risks to subjects and compliance with federal regulations (below) and institutional policies. Two TTUHSC IRBs serve six campuses

Lubbock IRB
(serves Lubbock campus)
(IRB # 1 - 00000096)

Amarillo IRB
(serves Amarillo, Abilene, Dallas, and Permian Basin campuses, and ASU)
(IRB # 2 - 00000097) 

TTUHSC has a Federal-Wide Assurance (FWA) # 00006767 with the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the rights and welfare of participants involved in research affiliated with this institution.

Federal Regulations & Guidelines

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

• OHRP - Office for Human Research Protections, DHHS, home page
• 45 CFR 46 - DHHS Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects
• 45 CFR Parts 160, 162 and 164 - Health Insurance Reform: Security Standards; Final Rule
• Expedited Guidelines - Categories of Research That May Be Reviewed by the IRB through an Expedited Review Procedure

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• 21 CFR 50 - FDA regulations for Protection of Human Subjects
• 21 CFR 56 - FDA regulations for Institutional Review Boards
• 21 CFR 312 - FDA regulations for Investigational New Drugs
• 21 CFR 812 - FDA regulations for Investigational Device Exemptions
• 21 CFR 814.100 - 126 - FDA regulations for Humanitarian Use Devices
• Information for Clinical Investigators - Guidance for clinical investigators involved in clinical trials of investigational drugs
• FDA Information Sheets - Guidance for IRBs and clinical investigators on interpreting 21 CFR 50 and 56

 Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

• Good Clinical Practice: - Consolidated Guidance - guidance for investigators, sponsors, and IRBs
• Good Clinical Practice in FDA-Regulated Clinical Trials - FDA web site for investigators conducting clinical trials

Ethical Codes

• Belmont Report - Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research
• Declaration of Helsinki - Recommendations Guiding Medical Doctors in Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects
• Nuremberg Code - Directives for Human Experimentation

IACUC oversees federally-mandated policies and procedures regarding the humane care and use of lab animals.

The primary IACUC page for current students and team members lives on HSCHub. Submissions are processed in iRIS. The IACUC APPLICATION is accessed using e-raider credentials.

IBC develops and advises on standard policy and procedures for the safe use, handling and storage of hazardous chemical and biological materials.

The primary IBC page for current students and team members lives on HSCHub. For more information, contact ibc@ttuhsc.edu.

ESCRO provides local oversight of standards and responsible use of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) or human Pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSC) in research. 

The primary ESCRO page for current students and team members lives on HSCHub. For more information, contact shelby.grubelnik@ttuhsc.edu.

QIRB oversees the systematic collection and analysis of data and implementation of interventions to improve the quality of clinical care in our educational programs. The Quality Improvement Review Board (QIRB) was established to promote the safe and efficient conduct of QI initiatives while also protecting the persons (patients, students, or employees) who are participants in QI interventions.  A formal review process for QI projects will ensure a) data collection and involvement of humans associated with the QI project indeed meet QI standards; and b) the project does not require Institutional Review Board (IRB) review and oversight. 

The primary QIRB page for current students and team members lives on HSCHub. For more information, contact qirb@ttuhsc.edu.

RIO provides an initial review of financial disclosure statements from TTUHSC researchers, as well as administrative oversight of the TTUHSC COIRC.  

The TTUHSC Conflict of Interest in Research Committee (COIRC) has been established by the SVPRI to review Disclosures of Significant Financial Interests to determine whether a conflict of interest exists, and if so, the nature and magnitude of the conflict, the degree to which the conflict is related to the research, and the extent to which the interest could be directly and substantially affected by the research.

The COIRC is also charged with periodic review of previously approved Conflict Management Plans (CMPs). The committee will work with Investigators and Key Study Personnel to develop appropriate CMPs, provide copies of the CMPs to appropriate review committees and administrators, and will obtain and review annual reports regarding ongoing CMPs.

The primary COIRC page for current students and team members lives on HSCHub. For more information, contact jennifer.board@ttuhsc.edu.