Protecting Research Participants

An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a federally mandated entity that oversees the protection of human subjects in research. At Penn State, an IRB must review all research involving human subjects, and the research cannot begin until the IRB has reached a determination. This is true even if a researcher perceives there are no risks for people who participate in his or her research as it is the role of the IRB to mitigate potential risks to participants, including their physical and psychological well-being, confidentiality and privacy, and autonomy, among others.  

The IRB consists of faculty, staff, and community members appointed by the Associate Vice President for Research. The IRB must have at least one member serving on the board who is not employed or affiliated with the University or has an immediate family member employed or affiliated with the University. 

Penn State IRBs

Penn State has one IRB program and two IRB offices. The Office for Research Protections supports researchers at University Park and all other Penn State campus locations, except the College of Medicine. The Human Subjects Protection Office (HSPO) provides support for researchers at the Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health. 

Penn State has an approved FWA with the Department of Health & Human Services. This Assurance is for University Park and all campus locations with the exception of the College of Medicine and Penn State Health, which has different FWA numbers for their respective IRBs.

• University Park: FWA00001534
• The expiration date for this assurance changes frequently. If you need the expiration date, please visit http://ohrp.cit.nih.gov/search/asurfnd.asp, enter the FWA Number above, and click “Search.”

The PSU IRB is registered also with the Department of Health & Human Services.

• University Park HHS Registration Number: IRB00000192