Institutional Review Board

IVRJ is the first reproductive justice organization to have an Institutional Review Board (IRB), and the only reproductive justice-centered IRB recognized by the Office for Human Research Protections (HHS). Through our IRB, we support community-based research projects and we are committed to promoting responsible research that prioritizes the lived experiences of community members. We believe the particularities of individuals’ lives must be viewed as important contributions to knowledge. Our IRB seeks to protect both individual community members and the entire community by making sure each IRB application we receive for review meets the ethical guidelines and principles established in the Belmont Report written by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. We will also be offering research protocol trainings for reproductive justice groups interesting in doing research. For more information about our IRB application process or its upcoming trainings email irb@iv4rj.org.