IRB Bulletin: News from the IRB Office (November 2022)

As a part of the Northwestern University IRB Office’s initiative to share timely resources and information with the research community, the following documents were updated this past month:

Updated: Ongoing HRPP Evaluations HRP-061  

The IRB Office has made changes to its Ongoing HRPP Evaluations (HRP-061). The updated form is now available on the SOPs Page. The IRB Office website should always be your first source for the latest documents. It is recommended to refrain from saving frequently used documents and to always access them from the website.

New Office for Research Page: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Office for Research (OR) is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice through focused resources and by providing tailored support to staff in OR. The DEI team will offer opportunities to expand knowledge and awareness through engagement, learning experiences and resources.

OR’s DEI office will serve as an advisor to OR staff to support needs of the department.

We are always looking for suggestions and input so please share any ideas or thoughts directly to Aisha at Aisha.ghoriozaki@northwestern.edu

 Staff Announcements: November 2022

We are pleased to announce the following IRB Office staff announcement: Christina Spicer, IRB Reliance Analyst. Christina (she/her) worked for the University of Oregon HRPP for nearly eight years, and she has over ten years of experience in human research. Her experience includes assisting IRB members and researchers with exempt, expedited, and continuing review processes, applying federal and state human subjects research regulations, assessing multi-site research considerations, and reviewing financial conflicts of interest. She also assisted researchers and colleagues at the University of Oregon during the transition to the revised Common Rule and the implementation of a new electronic submission platform. She has an extensive regulatory background and has held various roles in the legal sector, including attorney and copywriter. Christina holds bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Utah and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon. As a member of the Reliance Team, Christina will assist the Northwestern research community in maintaining compliance with institutional policies and federal regulations surrounding reliance, while also serving as the liaison for all key stakeholders.

Please join us in welcoming Christina to the IRB Team!

Thank you,

Northwestern University IRB Office