IRB DEIA

UTHealth Houston's Committee for Protection of Human Subjects is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the review, approval, and oversight of human participant research.

The mission and purpose of an IRB is to safeguard and protect the rights and welfare of all human participants who volunteer to participate in research. Consistent with the principle of justice, human participant research should aim to be broadly inclusive and representative of the population whose conditions are the focus of study, unless justified by scientific, ethical, or safety concerns, without exclusion on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, language, disability, religion, socio-economic status, or other characteristics that distinguish people from one another.

As an IRB, we will strive to support investigator and institutional efforts to ensure diversity, promote inclusion, and drive health equity. As the entity that reviews protocols for scientific and ethical integrity and hold researchers accountable, we, as IRB members, are also accountable. We are committed to advancing research that is responsive to and supportive of the well-being of our communities, and endeavor to reduce health disparities and promote social justice.

Resources:

• CCTS Community Engagement - Build partnerships between community members and academic researchers that lead to 1) a greater appreciation of the work we are each doing to create healthier communities and 2) an understanding of how we can collaborate to strengthen our impact. 
• CCTS Integrating Special Populations into Clinical Research 
• FDA’s draft guidance, ‘Diversity Plans to Improve Enrollment of Participants From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Populations in Clinical Trials.’
• Anti-Bias and Inclusive Language in Scholarly Writing: A Primer for Authors 

Adapted from https://mrctcenter.org/diversity-in-clinical-research/