Concordia College, Moorhead, MN

Institutional Review Board

What is the IRB?

Concordia College (CC) maintains an Institutional Review Board (hereafter known as CC IRB) to protect the rights and welfare of humans recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of this institution. The CC IRB has the authority to approve, require modifications in, or disapprove ALL research involving human subjects conducted at CC, as well as research conducted elsewhere by CC’s faculty, staff, and students.

The Dean of Academic Affairs appoints the CC IRB Chair and 4-5 committee members. The CC IRB reports to the Academic Procedures and Policies Committee. Currently, the CC IRB committee consists of the following members:

Mona Ibrahim, Chair

Aileen Buslig

Mark Covey

Matthew Lindholm

Julie Lucier

Linda Scott

The CC IRB may, at its discretion, invite individuals with competence in special areas to assist in the review of issues that require expertise beyond or in addition to that available on the CC IRB. These individuals may not vote with the IRB.

The CC IRB makes its independent determination whether to approve or disapprove a protocol based upon whether or not human subjects are adequately protected. The CC IRB does not determine the appropriateness of the proposed research in terms of the mission, values, and traditions of Concordia College. The Dean of the College or other designated representatives of the Office of Academic Affairs will address any questions about the appropriateness of proposed research topics. While the Dean may not approve a study that the IRB disapproves, the Dean may disapprove a study that the CC IRB approves.

The CC IRB’s decisions and actions are guided by the "Belmont Report", the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) policy, Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 46 (also known as the “Common Rule”), and by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy, Title 21 CFR Part 50 and Title 21 CFR Part 56 .

The CC IRB typically delegates the responsibility for review of exempt status research protocols conducted by students or faculty of a particular department to the chair of that department if the chair has completed the IRB required education (or to a chair’s representative who has completed the IRB required education). No IRB member or delegate may participate in the review of any research protocol in which he/she has a conflicting interest.