A Message from the University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board

IRB Announcements

The University of Pittsburgh IRB Can No Longer Be Used for Studies Processed By the UPMC Clinical Trials Office

Effective immediately, new research studies that are processed by the UPMC Clinical Trials Office (CTO) can no longer designate the University of Pittsburgh IRB as their IRB-of-record. This decision results from the recent re-evaluation of an agreement, made on August 24, 2004, between the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC that stipulates that with certain limited exceptions, all industry-initiated and sponsored clinical trials conducted within UPMC or UPP facilities by University faculty or staff who are also UPMC or UPP staff members, become the responsibility of UPMC. As a consequence, any clinical trial that is subject to the terms of this agreement is not part of the University of Pittsburgh's Human Subjects Protection Program (i.e., cannot be covered by the Pitt IRB).

Please note that the UPMC Clinical Trials Office requires the use of a central, nationally accredited IRB. All Principal Investigators should communicate this information to the industry sponsor. In the event that the industry sponsor desires to utilize a central IRB that is unaccredited, please direct the sponsor to the list of nationally accredited, central IRBs included below. In our experience, industry sponsors are understanding of this policy and readily identify an accredited central IRB from the list.

  • Biomedical Research Alliance of New York (BRANY)
  • Chesapeake Research Review, Inc.
  • Copernicus Group IRB
  • Essex Institutional Review Board
  • New England Institutional Review Board
  • Quorum Review, Inc.
  • Schulman Associates Institutional Review Board, Inc.
  • Western IRB

For investigators who currently have a CTO-processed research protocol that designates the University of Pittsburgh IRB as the IRB-of-record, there will be no change; the University IRB will continue its oversight of that project. However, any new protocol that uses the CTO should not be submitted through OSIRIS.

As a reminder, use of the CTO is limited to industry-initiated and sponsored clinical trials that are conducted solely within UPMC facilities. To determine whether any given project meets CTO management criteria, consult the CTO Applicability Checklist (http://www.irb.pitt.edu/CTO/documents/ApplicabilityChecklist.rtf)


OSIRIS Tip of the Week

"How to change your email address in HSConnect"

If your email address changes or you want OSIRIS email notifications to go to a different email address, you need to update your information via HSConnect. Here's how:

  1. Logon to www.hsconnect.pitt.edu using your old e-mail address and password. You can click on the "Forgot Password?" link if need be.
  2. Click on the "Update E-mail & Password" tab at the top-center of the page.
  3. Follow the instructions on this page to update your e-mail address.
  4. The changes will take effect in OSIRIS the next day.