M E M O R A N D U M

 

 

 

Date:               2/16/06

 

To:                  Dr. Gerald Giraud, VP for Instruction

 

From:              Andrew Thompson, Chairman, IRB

 

Regarding:     IRB Committee Records & Report

 

The Oglala Lakota College Institutional Review Board (IRB) is charged with reviewing the human subjects research of students, faculty and principle investigators at OLC.  The IRB has organized itself as a permanent committee of the College that is not part of Piya Wiconi Okolakiciye governance, but is under the Instructional Division of the College, the Administration, and the Board of Trustees. The policies that established the IRB were approved by the BOT on 3/31/04. 

 

The  IRB members who were approved by the VP for Instruction, and who served for the year through 1/31/06 include the following:

                       

Sara Danner                 Chairperson, Nursing Department

Jim Dudek                    Chairperson, Information Technology Department

                                    Dawn Frank                 Director, Graduate Studies Department Department

                                    Leslie Henry,                Chairperson, Agriculture and Natural Dept

                                    Marilyn Pourier Director of Development

                                    Sandy White Shield,     Secretary, Graduate Studies Department

                                    Andrew Thompson       Instructor of Business Administration

 

Sarah Danner and Leslie Henry meet the federal requirements for members with a scientific background.  Andrew Thompson was elected IRB Chairperson for the academic year.  The committee also selected the following Community members:

 

                                    Arvene Standing Elk

                                    Rick Two Dogs

                                    Ethlene Two Dogs

 

The IRB met five (5) times in the past year, and established a form and procedure for students of the Graduate Studies Department to submit research proposals for exempt or expedited review of School and Community Action Projects. A total of seven (7) student proposals were reviewed and approved as of 1/31/06.  There were no proposals that were rejected or disapproved under this procedure.

 

In addition, there was one (1) proposal, for non-exempt medical research in conjunction with the OLC Nursing Department, reviewed by the IRB.  The preexisting formal approvals of the Indian Health Service’ IRB and of the University of South Dakota’s IRB were accepted in reciprocity.  The IRB has moved to establish its own community assent approval process for culturally sustainable research to be used in these instances and as a model throughout the Reservation.

 

The IRB has also moved to establish formal procedures for itself, and for exempt and non-exempt research.  These procedures will be based on the existing policies that were approved by the Board of Trustees.  These written policies will allow the IRB to register with the Department of Health and Human Services as an IRB for the purposes of providing an ‘assurance’ to the government on a federal-wide basis