HS-IRBs News November 2013

Health Sciences and Minimal Risk IRBs, IRB News / Volume 5, Number 11, November 2013

HS-IRBs Office Closure

The HS-IRBs office will be closed Thursday, November 28th, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The ARROW helpline also will not be staffed on November 28th. The office will be open Friday, November 29th, with limited hours and coverage, including the ARROW helpline.

Reminder: HS-IRBs' Education and Outreach Survey

To assist the HS-IRBs' office in assessing its current outreach efforts and developing future educational programs, we are conducting a short survey of the research community. Thank you very much to the over 130 people who have responded so far! We hope to hear from more study teams before the survey closes at the end of November. Your feedback will be very helpful in shaping both our current and future outreach services.

 

The survey is available here: https://uwmadison.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eQZRAYdPbRVLq8l.

 

Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide your valuable feedback. If you have any questions regarding this survey, please email asktheirb@medicine.wisc.edu. 


New and Improved HS-IRBs Consultation and Presentation Request Form

The HS-IRBs Office has been offering consultations, presentations, and training on a variety of topics for several years. To assist study teams with requesting consultations and training, a new and improved [Link for document 18204 is unavailable at this time.] is now available on the HS-IRBs website. The new form is simplified and includes a checklist of IRB topics.

Study teams should use the new consolidated form to request group presentations, WIRB training, or a consultation with an IRB staff reviewer. To assist the HS-IRBs office in reviewing requests for training and consultations, please include the specific topics or questions you wish to have addressed.

Changes to VA Template Documents

As a result of the VA Office of Research Oversight audit earlier this year, the VA consent form template has been updated. Key differences from the prior consent form template include:

In addition to the updates to the consent form template, the VA has created a specific HIPAA authorization template for data repositories and revised the general HIPAA authorization template.

These updated templates should be used now by study teams preparing new IRB applications. For already approved VA studies, the HS-IRBs Office will be contacting study teams to assist them in updating their consent and authorization forms to comply with these new templates.

ARROW Outage December 1st

To allow for in-depth maintenance activities, ARROW will be unavailable from 8AM to 2PM Sunday, December 1st. This will be in addition to the standard Sunday maintenance window of 12AM to 7AM. We apologize for any inconvenience.

New 2014 Dates for IRB for Beginners Workshops

The HS-IRBs office has scheduled the first IRB for Beginners Workshops for 2014. These 90-minute workshops will be held in the HSLC computer lab and will give participants a first-hand view of the resources available on the HS-IRBs website as well as basic tools and tips for the ARROW electronic application submission system.  The workshops will also introduce participants to the IRB’s review process and procedures. This workshop is designed to help people who are new to the HS-IRBs review process.  This workshop is scheduled for the following dates:

Registration is required. Please email Brooke Mechelke at bmechelke@medicine.wisc.edu to reserve your spot in one of the future sessions.  Space is limited.

Next ARROW Open Lab on January 30th

The HS-IRBs office has previously held open lab sessions for study teams seeking assistance with using ARROW. We are again offering an open lab for anyone who wants help using ARROW. No formal training will be offered, but HS-IRBs staff will be available to answer any questions study teams have about ARROW.

The ARROW open lab will be held on Thursday, January 30th from 11AM to 11:30AM in the HSLC computer lab (HSLC 2121). Registration is required and capped at 20 participants. To register, please email bmechelke@medicine.wisc.edu.

Questions? We're Here to Help!

Whether you have a question about a specific protocol, a general question about the submission process, or need clarification about research policy, we have several ways you can reach us.

  • Urgent issues (e.g., subject safety concerns), please call our main line (608-263-2362) and ask to speak with the staff reviewer on call for the day. Please do NOT use email for these kinds of questions.

  • General IRB questions, please call our main line (608-263-2362) to speak with the staff reviewer on call or email asktheirb@medicine.wisc.edu. These are the quickest ways to get help with general questions.

  • Specific questions regarding the status of your review and/or reviewer notes, please contact the staff reviewer assigned to your application.

  • Help with single IRB review and reliance questions, email irbreliance.wisc.edu.

  • Assistance with ARROW or technical questions, email askarrowirb@medicine.wisc.edu.

  • Newsletter and other IRB updates, please sign up for the general HS-IRBs listserv by emailing join-hs_irbs_announcements@lists.wisc.edu.

  • WIRB updates, please sign up for the WIRB listsserv by emailing submitwirb@medicine.wisc.edu with a request to be put on the list.

  • Consultations: For investigators seeking assistance on a specific program or application, HS-IRBs staff are available for individual consultations. To request a consultation, complete the HS-IRBs Presentation and Consultation Request Form.

  • Presentations: The HS-IRBs office is available to provide the research community with presentations and trainings on a variety of topics. To request a presentation, complete the HS-IRBs Presentation and Consultation Request Form.