Institutional Review Board
The 91ÀÏ˾»ú - Fort Smith Institutional Review Board (IRB) is responsible for the regulation and monitoring of all university research on or involving human subjects. The IRB must ensure that all federal and state regulatory requirements are met by the university.
The 91ÀÏ˾»ú IRB is guided by the ethical principles regarding research involving human subjects set forth in the), Protection of Humans Subjects, Subparts A through D.
91ÀÏ˾»ú students who need human subjects research certification must complete the 91ÀÏ˾»ú certification before applying to the IRB. This certification is free, and you may stop, save, and reenter at your convenience. Contact your professor to register and enroll in the 91ÀÏ˾»ú online IRB – Human Research Training. Students need to save their successful certification for submission to the IRB.
Faculty or staff seeking IRB approval must also have Human Subject Research Training
before submitting their IRB proposal.
Investigators are strongly encouraged to utilize the to determine the appropriate level of IRB review to request or to determine if their
research meets the definition of "human subject research."
All research proposals to IRB should be submitted at least one month prior to the
start date of the research. No research may begin prior to approval.
All investigators should contact IRB@uafs.edu or Lisa-Marie.Norris@uafs.edu with any questions.
IRB Request Forms
Academic Year 2025 Institutional Review Board
- Dr. James Benjamin, associate professor - Psychology
- Dr. Patti Conard, endowed associate professor - Nursing
- Dr. Ben Lawson, assistant professor - History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy
- Dr. Eric Baker, assistant professor - History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy
- Dr. Amy Skypala, associate professor - Biological Sciences
- Dr. Chizuko Iwaki, associate professor - Mathematics
- Dr. Justina Buck, assistant professor - CBI Industry Administration
- Dr. Shannon Lively, visiting instructor - Business Analytics
- Stephanie Whitaker, chief nursing officer - Mercy Hospital Fort Smith
- Andrea Parton, discovery and access librarian