North Texas Regional Institutional Review Board

 

 

The North Texas Regional IRB is a collaboration involving several institutions in the North Texas area (such as UNT Health, John Peter Smith Health Network, etc.) to provide human subject protection review services to researchers of these partnering institutions…in a single IRB framework. As a Regional IRB, other collaborations are possible throughout the North Texas region, hence the name “North Texas Regional IRB”.  As new collaborating partners become involved with the North Texas Regional IRB, announcements will be sent out regarding these new partnerships and opportunities.

For additional information about this, please visit our NTR IRB Brochure. You may also contact us at NorthTexRegIRB@unthealth.edu.

 

Badge signifying Full Accreditation from the Association for the Accredditation of Human Research Protection Program, Inc. (AAHRPP)

Text on image reads "IRB Guidance and Resources" and shows icons of video player and word processing document. Click the image to go to the Guidance webpage.

As part of our ongoing efforts to provide detailed and helpful guidance to our NTR IRB researchers, the NTR IRB Office has created two short 15-minute training videos with researchers like YOU in mind, and invite you to watch the exclusive premiere at this time! One provides an overview of IRB concepts and describes the various resources/guidance materials available to you (see video titled “IRB Concepts and Resources”) while the second video is a quick tutorial on our electronic system, IRBNet (see video titled “IRBNet Tutorial”). To watch these videos, please visit our Instructional Guidance and Sources for Human Subject Investigators page.

NOTE: Within this webpage, you can also find an extensive list of instructional and detailed guidance on a variety of IRB and humans subject protection related topics, such as consent, recruitment and designing specific research studies (e.g., chart reviews, focus groups, research repositories, etc.). We highly recommend that you stroll through our Instructional Guidance and Sources for Human Subject Investigators webpage and review the guidance/resources materials as you prepare your protocol for IRB submission and review. Please feel free to contact us at any point – through our initial IRB consult form, email (NorthTexRegIRB@unthealth.edu) or main contact line (817-735-0409) – if you have any questions regarding the submission and review process.

We appreciate your research!

Large black button with white text that reads "IRB Submission System The North Texas Regional adopted the electronic protocol management tool, IRBNet, in September 2018. All submissions to the North Texas Regional IRB are to be submitted and managed via IRBNet. Click here for details, documents and contact information."

To get into IRBNet, click here.

 

NORTH TEXAS REGIONAL IRB

 

Vision:

The North Texas Regional Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be the premier regional human research protection program and a leading innovator in education, training, and positive “value-added” investigator-IRB relationships.

Mission:

The mission of the North Texas Regional Institutional Review Board (NTR IRB) is to protect the rights, privacy, and welfare of individuals who participate in research, while ensuring that scientific discovery advances through the highest standards of ethics and integrity.

We believe that doing research ethically is essential not only for participant protection, but also for generating meaningful, trustworthy scientific knowledge that benefits our community.

The NTR IRB is committed to:

•  Safeguarding research participants through fair, careful, and principled review processes.

•  Providing exceptional customer service through a warm, collaborative environment where questions are welcomed, interactions are respectful, and researchers feel valued and  supported.

•  Offering clear education and guidance to help investigators navigate the IRB process with confidence, strengthening both compliance and study quality.

•  Building trust with our community by upholding the ethical standards that make research both responsible and impactful.

About Us:

The North Texas Regional Institutional Review Board operates a regional human research protection program to review and approve all research involving human subjects.  This program has two important components: the administrative support and outreach regarding the protection of human subjects by the IRB office and the regulatory review and approval provided by the North Texas Regional Institutional Review Board (IRB) itself.

The North Texas Regional Institutional Review Board office conducts initial review for all research projects involving human subjects and refers their findings and recommendation to the North Texas Regional IRB for formal in-depth review and approval.  Further the IRB is authorized to monitor all research involving human subjects under their Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) jurisdiction.

The IRB is a volunteer member review committee that is empowered to review all human subjects research proposals – funded or not – which are conducted by UNT Health and JPS faculty, staff, employees, students, residents, as well as designated community research partners.  IRB members are appointed by the Institutional Officials for each partnering member. Note that the IRB is essentially an “independent committee” and must follow federal regulations as well as institutional policies in evaluating the scientific and ethical merits of human subject research.

The North Texas Regional IRB is committed to reviewing biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects under rigorous ethical principles. The IRB has been established to comply with existing regulations of the federal government in accordance with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regulations in 45 CFR 46, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations set forth in 21 CFR 50, 56, and with Federal Wide Assurance (accepted by the DHHS, Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP)).

Further, the North Texas Regional IRB will adhere to the statement of ethical principles as described in The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Human Subjects of Research found in the Report of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research; and the IRB is cognizant of the International Conference on Harmonization Good Clinical Practice Consolidated Guidelines regarding organization and operation of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs).

This fundamental commitment to the protection of human subjects applies to all research involving human subjects regardless of whether the research is funded through government, non-profit or industry sponsors, through University or JPS Health Network funds, or not funded at all, and regardless of the location of the research.

Before any human subject research project is initiated, it must be reviewed and approved by the IRB. While the principal investigator has primary responsibility for the conduct of the study, both UNT Health and JPS are responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of study subjects under FWAs granted by DHHS to the University. The North Texas Regional IRB and its researchers adhere to federal, Texas, and local regulations and laws as appropriate. Ethical and procedural guidelines by recognized professional organizations are also used for achieving best practices.