Institutional review boards and human subject ethics

YCC 5

Robyn Hannigan, hannigan@astate.edu, Chemistry and Physics, Arkansas State University, P.O. Box 419, State University, AR 72467
Institutional review boards, the governing bodies that provide oversight to human subject research, play a pivotal role in the development and execution of human subject research. As the disciplinary lines between chemistry and other sciences become blurred it is increasingly important that chemists become aware of the regulations governing responsible conduct of research on humans. In addition to the obvious clinical research activities associated with humans issues such as surveys and focus group research require similarly vigilant oversight and management. Issues to be discussed include the history of human subject research, current policies and laws regarding the use of humans in experimentation and the ethical responsibilities of researchers in today's cross-disciplinary research culture.