Announcements

Winter 2009 Blackout Period

The Winter 2009 blackout period will take place from Friday, December 4, 2009 through Monday, January 4, 2010.  Any applications received during this period will be processed after January 4, 2010. 

We will do our best to provide a response by December 23 for applications received by Friday, December 4.  Please note additional time may be needed for review of applications depending on the availability of committee members during the final exam period.

Purpose and Mission of the FDU Institutional Review Board (IRB)

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a federally-mandated committee created by the University to review in advance any research protocol conducted by FDU faculty, students, administrators or staff which proposes to use people as subjects of experiment or research. 

Purpose
The Board reviews each research protocol to determine that 1) basic ethical principles of human dignity will not be violated by the experimental procedures; 2) that all subjects will be fully informed of any physical, legal, psychological, or financial risks they may incur and 3) that the subjects freely assent to participate.  The creation of an IRB is a condition with which the University must comply to accept federal funding, including student financial aid, scholarships, and research grants.  No research protocol using human subjects may be undertaken without the Board’s prior approval.

Mission
All faculty and staff who conduct research that involves human participants are obligated to ensure their safety, protection, and rights and comply with state and federal regulations.  The IRB at Fairleigh Dickinson University assists researchers in conducting their research according to the ethical, professional and community standards.  The procedures and regulations followed by the IRB are in compliance with the Office of Human Subjects Protection.  The Board ensures that human subjects must be respected as individuals who decide for themselves whether to participate, that care is taken not exploit those whose capacities are diminished, and that no group of people are given undue opportunity or burden by participating in research. 

IRB Chair

Dr. Elizabeth Parietti, Associate Director of the Graduate Nursing Program, serves as the Chair of FDU's Institutional Review Board (IRB).  She holds a doctorate in Nursing Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Dr. Parietti is the former Associate Professor and Director of Research and Doctoral Education in the School of Nursing at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) where she served on the IRB for 10 years.  She has over 18 years experience serving on IRB committees.