Research Ethics & Integrity (REI) assurance falls within Academic Affairs to ensure that research being conducted by SMU faculty, staff or students is ethical and meets the Federal Requirements (45 CFR 46) for the protection of human subjects. Academic Affairs supports two processes for the review of research activities.
The Research Protocol Screening (RPS) process, considers research protocols that meet the federal criteria (45 CFR 46) for being exempt or those not involving human subjects. Exempt determinations and non-human subject research (NHSR) are made through the RPS. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews research involving human subjects using full review or expedited review procedures for non-exempt studies.
As of October 2024, all Research Ethics & Integrity / Institutional Review Board resources have moved to SMU Connect, SMU's intranet site. You can find the page by navigating to Departments > Academic & Student Affairs > Research Ethics & Integrity / IRB, or going directly to the following page: https://smuconnect.sharepoint.com/sites/InstitutionalReviewBoard.
SMU Connect is available only to SMU faculty, staff and students.
IRB Office Contact Information
If you have questions about the SMU IRB process, contact Jamie Hirota, IRB Administrator, (510) 879-9200, x7374 (jhirota@samuelmerritt.edu) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Jamie’s office is on the Oakland Campus in the Peralta Pavilion, 450 30th Street, Room 2718, Oakland, CA 94609.
