HS-IRBs News January 2015

Health Sciences and Minimal Risk IRBs, IRB News / Volume 7, Number 1, January 2015

HS-IRBs Office Closure

The HS-IRBs office will be closed Monday, January 19th. No coverage will be provided this day, including for the ARROW helpline and WIRB.

HS-IRBs Staff Updates

Farewell: Brooke Mechelke, IRB staff reviewer and education coordinator, is leaving the office this month.  She and her family are relocating to Milwaukee, where Brooke will be working with the Aurora Health Care IRB.  We thank Brooke for all of her hard work for the past several years. Brooke has been an invaluable member of the HS IRBs Office, especially in regards to her education, training and outreach work.  We wish her all the best and will miss having her in the office.

Filling In: With Brooke’s departure, Jake Rome (jarome@medicine.wisc.edu or 261-1156) will be assisting with training and outreach work.  Questions about any IRB application items that Brooke previously reviewed can be directed to Gretchen Anding (gla@medicine.wisc.edu or 263-4170).

New ARROW Guidance: Completing the Biological Specimens Section

A new ARROW guidance document has been posted on Completing the "Collection and/or use of Biological Specimens" Section . This document provides guidance for study teams on how to answer specific questions in this section of the initial review application form.

New and Improved HIPAA Website

A new UW HIPAA website is now available, including links to the new HIPAA training program. A variety of new FAQS and resources for researchers also have been added.

Five Year Renewal Notifications

With the advent of the new year, five year renewal notifications are now being sent for 2011 studies that may require a replacement application. These notifications are provided as a courtesy to study teams via ARROW and continuing review approval letters. If you have any questions about a five year renewal notification, please email asktheirb@medicine.wisc.edu.

Update on IRB for Beginners Workshops

Currently, no sessions of the IRB for Beginners workshops have been scheduled for 2015. New sessions of the workshop will likely be scheduled for March or April and will be announced in a future newsletter. If you wish to attend a future session of this workshop, please email asktheirb@medicine.wisc.edu and ask to be placed on the waiting list.


  • 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@hsirb.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@hsirb.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.

  • 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.