This proposal is submitted in response to RFA number 0D-03-007: Human Subjects Research Enhancements Program (HSREP). The IRB of the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI) is a previous grantee under the first Enhancement RFA (0D-02-003) and has considerable expertise relevant to the protection of individuals with mental illness who participate in psychiatric research. Using funds from the first RFA, we have created an interactive and dynamic relational database as a means of archiving and accessing IRB guidance for psychiatric researchers. By integrating this database with range of web-based applications, we believe we can significantly enhance our humans subjects protections program by providing investigators with practical guidance and by streamlining review. In the current proposal, we plan to expand the capabilities of the database by creating a web-based informed consent module, and a web-based tutorial module. Each, like the online protocol submission tool that is nearing completion, provide content rich guidance which is specific to the nature of the research being conducted. By collaborating with Institutions throughout New York State's Office of Mental Health, we hope to broaden the impact of this enhancement.
