By building upon various computing and staffing efforts made by Brown University in key areas related to human subjects research, the intention of this project is to accomplish the following goals for the enhancement of human research protections in an efficient and economical manner. ? To create educational materials and a curriculum that will ultimately inform and train individuals involved with human research studies. ? To provide protocol and reporting tools and an accurate, accessible database that will provide the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and its staff with information crucial to the protection of the rights and welfare of human research participants. ? To develop a comprehensive web-based environment that will provide, in an interactive manner, links to University policies and procedures, federal regulations and educational materials as well as guidelines and tools for protocol development and reporting. ? To tailor an educational curriculum that can be taken """"""""on the road"""""""" to where it is needed and is geared to particular user populations and needs. ? To initiate the accreditation process for the Institutional Review Board by beginning a self-assessment process and planning further efforts to strengthen and expand human research participant protections. These goals will be accomplished in a manner that will maximize the potential impact, accessibility, and usefulness for the research community, the IRB members, and University officials. All of these efforts will place Brown on the road moving from a system focused on regulatory compliance toward a system focused on the prevention of harm to the human research participant.
