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Institutional Review Board

GCSC's Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Mission statement:

GCSC's (IORG0009585) IRB (IRB00011400) shall be administered by a Committee who will comply with U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) regulations designed to protect human subjects from physical or psychological harm. The Committee will review each submitted research project to assess its research ethics, methodology, procedures for promoting fully informed and voluntary participation by prospective subjects, and safeguards for maximizing subject safety. If a prospective subject is unable to provide informed consent, the Committee will review whether informed permission will be obtained from an appropriate proxy. After completing its review, GCSC's IRB Committee will approve or disapprove the project and notify each researcher of its determination.

Regulations & Principles:

GCSC's IRB assures that all of its activities related to human subjects research will be in compliance with federal mandates, regulations, and procedures (e.g., the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45, Part 46, Protection of Human Subjects  & Terms of Federalwide Assurance). This assurance will be guided by the Belmont Report's statement of Principles, which follows specific ethical standards:

  1. Respect for persons – individuals should be treated as autonomous agents; persons with diminished autonomy are entitled to additional protection.
  2. Beneficence – do no harm; maximize benefits and minimize harms.
  3. Justice – requires that individuals and groups be treated fairly and equitable in terms of bearing the burdens and receiving the benefits of research.

Steps to follow:

Each applicant must submit an application package, even those who believe they are exempt. Incomplete packages will not be evaluated.

For the application package please contact Kris Hatcher.

The Chair will send you the application package and instructions.

Types of Research:

There are three types of research:

  1. Exempt research
  2. Expedited
  3. Full Board (will not be review during the Summer)

Please visit HHS.gov Office for Human Research Protections for more details. 

COMMITTEE Members:

The IRB Committee consist of an interdisciplinary and diverse group of faculty, administrators, and staff, as well as an external community member.

Institutional Review Board Members
Kris Hatcher EdD Institutional Review Board Chair
Ursula Backus  
Todd Brister Non-affiliated with GCSC (i.e., Community Member)
Kelli Spriggs  
Jennifer Barber  
Lacy Newsom Health Science Representative
Melanie Pendergrass  
Melanie Pelton  

Additional Resources:

Gulf Coast State College does not discriminate against any person in its programs, activities, policies or procedures on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, marital status, religion, age, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. All questions or inquiries regarding compliance with laws relating to non-discrimination and all complaints regarding sexual misconduct or discrimination, may be directed to Amanda Reed, Executive Director, Human Resources/Title II/504/Title IX Coordinator and Civil Rights Compliance Officer, Gulf Coast State College, 5230 W. US Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32401.