An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a group of people such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, scientists, ethicists, and people from the local community who ensure that human research is well-planned and ethical. An IRB is used to ensure the rights and welfare of people participating in research studies both before and during their participation. These impartial review panels perform the job of risk and benefit assessment, ensuring that the risks are both minimized and fairly disclosed to study participants. IRB's are monitored by the FDA to protect and ensure the safety of participants in medical research.