The protection of human subjects is of high priority to all clinical investigators and institutions. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, and Wurzweiler School of Social Work maintain a strong commitment to the safe and ethical treatment of human subjects. Two Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) located at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein) and Montefiore Medical Center (MMC) oversee all of the human research protocols at these four institutions. The IRBs function under the auspices of a federally-approved Cooperative Agreement which ensures institutional oversight and adherence to federal regulations. While one IRB serves as the Primary Reviewer, the other is kept informed via an Ad Hoc mechanism. The two IRBs meet regularly in a Joint Conference Committee to review policies, procedures and mutual concerns.
Our aim i s to extend the implementation of the Einstein/MMC web-based Protocol Application and Tracking System (PATS) to the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology and Wurzweiler School of Social Work. The addition of PATS to Ferkauf and Wurzweiler will enhance the monitoring and coordination of behavioral and social research, reduce submission errors, track all required paperwork (including amendments, progress reports, adverse events, etc), and enhance the quality assurance program. In addition, we propose to customize the human subjects educational component at Ferkauf and Wurzweiler by dealing specifically with issues related to behavioral and social research. Tailored seminars will be offered on all campuses to make it easier for faculty and students to attend. These customizations will require infrastructure, technology and educational materials development. Resources are requested for the continuing development and alterations to the multiplatform web-based application as well as the educational component. This will ensure high quality monitoring and coordination of the behavioral and social research protocols conducted at each institution.
