A&M-Texarkana Seeks Community Member to Serve on Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Texas A&M University-Texarkana is seeking a member of the community to serve on the IRB committee for a three-year term, beginning Jan. 2, 2018.

Every institution with an IRB is required to have a member who is unaffiliated with the university as a part of its committee. The member’s role is to be the voice of the community with regard to all proposals to conduct human subject research, ask relevant questions that represent the perspective of research subjects, and serve as an unbiased participant in the voting process.

The committee is also required to have one non-scientific voting member sit on the committee. As is the case with many IRBs, the unaffiliated and non-scientific members are one person who fulfills both criteria.

Responsibilities of the member are to

• attend all IRB committee meetings (approximately one per month from September through May of each academic year);
• review all IRB application materials (including proposals, informed consent documents, questionnaires, recruitment plans, etc.) in preparation for each meeting;
• ask questions and voice issues concerning protocols publicly to the committee or privately to the IRB committee chair;
• maintain communication with the IRB committee chair regarding protocols, meeting agendas, procedural questions, etc.; and
• maintain confidentiality for all discussions, reviews, meeting minutes and proprietary information you encounter.

Community members need to represent the interests of the larger community A&M-Texarkana serves; therefore, applicants must reside in the Texarkana area and not be affiliated with the university. Students, employees, their spouses or retirees cannot serve.

An understanding of IRB procedures is not required, and the university is especially interested in applicants with expertise in non-scientific areas, including law, religion, education, ethics or related areas.

To apply, submit an email containing a résumé or curriculum vitae and a cover letter detailing interest and any relevant knowledge or expertise to IRB committee co-chairs Dr. Abbie Strunc at Abbie.Strunc@tamut.edu and Dr. Sandy Labby at Sandra.Labby@tamut.edu.

For more information, contact Dr. Strunc at Abbie.Strunc@tamut.edu or Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Dr. Nancy Jordan at Nancy.Jordan@tamut.edu.