Institutional Research Review Committee

Welcome
On behalf of the Institutional Research Review Committee, we would like to say thank you for taking the time to review this web site.

Mission Statement
The Mission of the Institutional Research Review Committee (IRRC) is to promote the development of scientific research, to ensure a safe and ethical research environment, and to protect the rights and welfare of the human research subjects involved in research activities conducted under the authority of the Sparrow Health System.

Latest News

Marion McElhaney
IRB Administrator
Sparrow Hospital

Research at Sparrow
All research conducted within Sparrow Health System that involves human subjects or human materials must have prior approval by the IRRC. This includes investigations conducted by but not limited to: (1) the Sparrow Health System medical/clinical staff and residents; (2) the faculty, residents and medical students from MSU; and (3) other institutions and/or individuals interested in research. The type of IRRC review required (exempt, expedited or full board) depends upon the classification of the research proposal and on the levels of risk to the subjects.

Federal Wide Assurance
Based on the ethical principles set forth in the Nuremberg Code, the Declaration of Helsinki, and the Belmont Report, the federal government requires that each medical facility, institution, or university receiving federal research funds file an Assurance that it has established policies and procedures for protecting human subjects of research. Sparrow Health System has been issued a Federal Wide Assurance by the Office of Human Research Protection (OHRP), formerly the Office of Protection from Research Risks (OPRR) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Our Assurance incorporates the Federal protection of human research subjects as set forth in 45 regulations adopted in the Common Federal Rule (1991). These Federal regulations on research involving human subjects and the Sparrow Health System’s most recent Assurance provide the basis for this web site. Under our Assurance, an Institutional Review Board (IRB) was created within Sparrow Health System and is known as the IRRC. The IRRC is charged with reviewing and approving each research project involving human subjects or materials of human origin before it is implemented. The IRRC routinely updates the Medical Staff Executive Committee regarding the status of research projects involving human subjects being conducted at Sparrow.