HSRB MISSION
The Philander Smith University Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB) helps faculty, staff, and students comply with federal and institutional requirements and policies to protect the rights, dignity, welfare, and privacy of all persons participating in research under the auspices of the college
HSRB Goal and Objective
The Human Subject Review Board (HSRB) serves as the federally recognized Institutional Review Board (IRB) for Philander Smith University. The Philander Smith University HSRB aims to protect human subjects and support the design and conduct of research by providing an assessment of proposed research and recommendations on proposals that include human subjects to ensure that risks to human subjects are kept to an absolute minimum and are justified by potential benefits of the research.
HSRB Review Process
Philander Smith University is committed to the ethical treatment of all human participants in research conducted by its faculty, staff, and students. A research involving human participants conducted by faculty, staff, or student at Philander Smith University must be reviewed and approved by the PSU Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB). The PSU HSRB operates according to the guidelines in the Code of Federal Regulations (45CFR46) and other state and institutional guidelines.
Human Subjects Research Review
There are two reasons why you would need HSRB approval before data collection:
- Research conducted with human participants involves more physical, mental, psychological, or social risks than people would experience on a daily basis. The type of research doesn’t matter—it could be based on interviews, surveys, or experimental methodologies. If the research asks about sexual or health history or inquires about any other socially sensitive information, it must come through the Board. More detailed explanations of this kind of risk can be found in the PSU HSRB Policies and Procedures below.
- The research conducted with human participants will be published or presented off campus. Please note that undergraduate research conferences have an exemption unless they involve the level of risk described in #1.
HSRB: What counts as Research with Human Subjects?
HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH
Research projects involving human subjects require a Human Subjects Review Board (HSRB) review. An HSRB is an ethics committee of scientists and non-scientists who assure that the rights and welfare of human subjects are adequately protected in research. The PSU HSRB is responsible for reviewing and overseeing human subjects’ research conducted by PSU faculty, staff, and students.
The first question a researcher should consider concerning HSRB review is whether the research project fits the definitions of “human subjects” and “research.” When in doubt, the investigator should err on the side of caution and consult HSRB staff to clarify whether a study is human subjects research or not.
