Here's how Mayo's IRB ensures your protection:
- It approves and monitors all research conducted at
Mayo Clinic to ensure the research complies with
federal regulations and the protocol.
- The IRB is completely independent of any other
committee or governing body within the institution.
- The IRB is composed from a large pool of Mayo Clinic
experts, as well as nonscientific members from a
variety of areas that have included ethicists, clergy
members, psychologists, and college counselors
among others.
- Every protocol is reviewed by the chair of the IRB, a
scientist or physician, and one of the non-scientific
members before it is discussed at a meeting and
voted upon.
- Every protocol must be approved by the IRB before
the study can begin.
- If an IRB member has a personal interest, or is an
investigator in a particular study, he or she is
excused from the room when the study's protocol
vote is taken.
- All protocols involving human studies are reviewed
at least once each year.
