Human Subjects Research Protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education works closely with the U.S. Department of Energy to support its mission and ensure effective implementation of the DOE Human Subjects Protection Program. DOE is committed to the protection of human research participants in all research funded by DOE, conducted at DOE institutions, or performed by DOE employees or their contractors.

ORISE provides technical assistance to DOE to execute and maintain strategic initiatives that uphold the highest standards and regulations for the protection of human subjects.

Education and resources
Educational resources and tools for Institutional Review Board (IRB) chairs, administrators, researchers and program managers, provided by the DOE Human Subjects Protection Program.

Regulations and requirements
Information about policy and requirements documents, including ethical principles, federal regulations, DOE special requirements, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, that DOE follows in its implementation of the DOE Humans Subjects Protection Program.

Institutional Review Boards

Central DOE IRB (CDOEIRB)
Established in January 2010, the CDOEIRB serves as DOE’s IRB of record for study protocols that involve employees of DOE or its contractors.

Central DOE IRB-Classified (CDOEIRB-C)
The CDOEIRB-C (established in 2012) serves as DOE’s IRB of record for DOE sites that do not have a classified IRB but have study protocols that involve classified (in part or totality) human subjects research. It also serves as DOE’s IRB of record for all classified and unclassified intelligence-related human subjects research funded through the Strategic Intelligence Partnership Program.

ORISE STEM Workforce Development and Health Studies programs collaborate on Institutional Review Board webinar

ORISE STEM Workforce Development and Health Studies programs collaborate on Institutional Review Board webinar

The ORISE STEM Workforce Development and Health Studies programs partnered to create the Not-So-Formal IRB Survival Guide webinar that was hosted on March 16, 2023 by ORISE Epidemiologist Sara Howard and ORISE Administrator for the DOE Central and Oak Ridge Site IRBs Lindsay Motz.

Read more about this collaboration