Roles & Responsibilities

Federal Regulations at 45CFR46 and University policy require that all research involving human subjects be prospectively reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Yale maintains four IRB's to provide effective review and oversight of human subjects research. The Human Subjects Committee (HSC) is responsible for the oversight of studies that involve faculty, staff or students of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, School of Management, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, School of Law, Divinity School, School of Architecture, School of Art, School of Drama, and School of Music.

The goal of HSC review is to ensure that the rights and welfare of research participants are protected. To do so, the HSC assesses that appropriate steps are taken to respect the autonomy of participants, to minimize the risks to participants, and to ensure that the burdens and benefits of the research are justly distributed.

HSC reviews proposed research to ascertain that the study procedures meet the requirements of the Federal Regulations and University Policy. The HSC has the authority to approve, disapprove or require modification in the research protocol.

Once approval has been granted, the HSC is required to review the research at least once a year to assess that the research still meets Federal and University requirements.

The HSC seeks to promote research which adheres to the highest ethical and scientific standards.