Institutional Review Board

Research with human participants (also called human subjects’ research) is any activity intended to obtain and record information from or about individuals for research purposes. Examples of human subjects’ research include: surveys, observations of behavior, experiments involving human responses, and collection of data from existing records. The MMC Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews research of this nature at MMC.  The primary aim of this review process is to protect the basic rights of research participants, namely their right to be protected from harm and to be protected from invasion of privacy. 

The procedures for review and approval are regularly revised by the MMC IRB to ensure their concurrence with relevant professional codes of ethics and with federal regulation Title 45, Part 46, effective July 14, 2009, and any revisions.  In January 2014, the Academic Affairs Office applied for a Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) and registered MMC’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) with the federal government.  In August 2017, the A.A. Office updated our FWA and renewed the registration of our IRB.

If you are conducting or supervising research with human subjects, and if you are employed by Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) or you wish to do research on the premises of MMC, then your study should be reviewed by the MMC IRB. 

In order to initiate the review process, you need to complete the appropriate application (faculty/staff application for review, student application for review, application for exempt from review status).  The application will require that you supply the IRB with information on your procedure, its risks and benefits, and, if applicable, such safeguards as participants’ informed consent and anonymity, and confidentiality of data.  

The IRB meets monthly during the school year and less frequently during the summer months.  After your application has been approved, you must notify the IRB if you change research procedures or if you plan to continue your research beyond the end of the initial approval period.  

The IRB works with researchers to facilitate research. The IRB will act on your application as quickly as possible.  If your initial proposal is rejected, the Committee will provide written feedback. If you submit a revised proposal, the Committee will re-evaluate your proposal.

The MMC IRB includes Michelle Ronda (now at BMCC and an outside member of the committee), Eileen Doherty (Communication and Media Arts), Andrea Tsentides (Business/Accounting), Jeff Morrison (Theatre; Co-Chair of IRB), and Linda Solomon (Psychology; Co-Chair of IRB).  The meeting schedule may be obtained from either Prof. Morrison or Prof. Solomon.