Celebrating 60 Years of the IRB Protecting Research Participants
For 60 years, the Hennepin Healthcare Institutional Review Board (IRB) has helped ensure research is conducted safely, ethically and with the rights and well-being of participants at the forefront.
Since its beginnings in 1966 as the Research Advisory Committee, the IRB has provided independent oversight for studies that involve people, evolving alongside Hennepin Healthcare’s research enterprise and the growing complexity of human research. Today, the IRB is part of Hennepin Healthcare’s Human Research Protection Program (HRPP).
As the IRB celebrates six decades, it is also welcoming new leadership. Mark Oswood, MD, PhD, has been named IRB chair, with Kerry Sheets, MD, and Tzivia Leviton, RPh, serving as vice chairs.
Oswood is an affiliated scientist and radiologist. Sheets is an affiliated scientist and geriatrician, and Leviton is an affiliated scientist and pharmacist. Together, the new leadership team will help guide the IRB's continued commitment to protecting the rights, safety and well-being of people who participate in research.
Over the years, the IRB has adapted to changing regulations, new technologies and an increasingly complex research environment. Through every change, its mission has remained the same: protecting people while supporting research that can improve health and benefit patients and the community.
Leviton has seen that evolution firsthand. She has served as a scientific member of the IRB for nearly 30 years and as a vice chair since 2022.
"The IRB serves in partnership with researchers in their pursuit of knowledge and desire to improve patients' health and wellbeing through better treatments and services," Leviton said.
The IRB brings together physicians, scientists, nonscientists and community representatives, each offering a unique perspective during the review process. Community members, in particular, represent the viewpoint of potential research participants and the broader public. Their perspectives help ensure cultural, social, linguistic and other community considerations are part of the conversation.
That commitment to protecting people extends beyond the IRB itself. Hennepin Healthcare is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP), demonstrating that its policies, procedures and practices meet rigorous, internationally recognized standards for the ethical conduct of research and protection of participants. AAHRPP accreditation also reflects an organization's commitment to ongoing quality improvement, accountability and public trust.
For research participants, that trust matters. Every person who volunteers for a study is placing trust in the researchers, the institution and the systems designed to protect them. For more than 60 years, Hennepin Healthcare has worked to honor that trust by putting research participants first.
"Through consistency and continuous quality improvements, the IRB has served to ensure appropriate human research protections while also supporting researchers in their aims to promote access to innovative therapies and improve patient outcomes," Leviton said.
As science continues to evolve, from new technologies to progressively multifaceted clinical trials, the IRB will continue working with investigators to address ethical considerations and assure research compliance.
"The mission of the IRB remains the same — protection of human subjects," Leviton said.
This 60th anniversary recognizes six decades of ethical research oversight and the many committee members, staff and researchers who have helped build a strong foundation for research at Hennepin Healthcare. Most importantly, it marks a commitment that remains at the heart of our work today and into the future — we protect people.