Concerns or Complaints about Human Participant Research

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) has the responsibility for ensuring that the rights and welfare of all human participants in research at The Pennsylvania State University are protected. The IRB is also responsible for making sure that the research is conducted in accordance with Federal, state, and local laws and regulations as well as University policies. These activities are coordinated through the Office for Research Protections (ORP), located in The 330 Building, Suite 205 on the University Park campus.

If you have questions, concerns or complaints related to research involving human participants conducted at or under the auspices of The Pennsylvania State University may be directed to Jodi Mathieu, Assistant Director, IRB Operations at zjc2@psu.edu. If a concern is emergent in nature or is such that a participant may potentially be placed at risk, please call the IRB directly at (814) 865-1775. Each concern or question is taken seriously and handled confidentially.

Concerns may also be directed to the Penn State Ethics and Compliance Hotline at 1-800-560-1637. For more information about the hotline, please visit the Office of Internal Audit Web site.

Federal law prohibits discrimination against persons who bring forth legitimate concerns.