These safeguards are based on the ethical principles listed in the Belmont Report: Respect for Persons, Beneficence, and Justice.
Whittier College complies with public health guidance issued by the State of California and Los Angeles County to prevent the spread of COVID-19. During this time, study procedures that involve in-person interactions must not compromise participant safety or the scientific integrity of the research. All studies must follow all public health orders issued by governments and institutions in the geographical regions and institutional settings in which the study takes place. Principal Investigators have the responsibility to stay up-to-date with orders that may change frequently and address precautionary measures in their IRB/HSPC application.
The purpose of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Human Subjects Protection Committee (HSPC) is to review and oversee research to ensure adherence to ethical principles, federal and state regulations, and College policies. IRB review is required for federally-funded research. The College is registered through the Federalwide Assurance (FWA) of the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Whittier College’s FWA number is: FWA00008889.
IRB/HSPC is supported the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs which assists with application workflow, administrative review of new submissions, regulatory requirements, and educational programming for the Whittier research community.
The key responsibilities of faculty, staff, and student investigators in the ethical conduct of research with human subjects are to:
