Announcements
Cooperative IRB Closure, December, 2025
*The Biomedical and Social and Behavioral Science IRBs continue to serve the UH research community.
At the end of 2025, the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) Cooperative Institutional Review Board (IRB) will be permanently closed.
No new applications for the Cooperative IRB will be accepted by the UH Human Studies Program. Protocols that are currently under the oversight of the Cooperative IRB will transfer to the Biomedical IRB.
The Cooperative IRB was initially established over twenty years ago to reduce researcher burden by providing a one-stop IRB review for research involving UH and Oʻahu healthcare organizations. Since that time, hospital consolidation and the ongoing development of single IRB review requirements have greatly reduced the number of research protocols submitted to the Cooperative IRB.
After careful review, we have determined that the administrative resources required to continue the Cooperative IRB are no longer justified.
What next?
The two participating organizations in the Cooperative IRB are The Queen’s Health System (QHS) and Hawaiʻi Pacific Health (HPH). The UH maintains agreements (MOAs) with both. These reliance agreements will help minimize regulatory burden.
Researchers will need to determine which health care institution will have primary jurisdiction, and submit their research protocol for regulatory review accordingly.
Information for submitting research protocols to the QHS IRB may be found at: https://ord.queens.org/rro/irb-protocol-submission/
The MOA between UH and QHS will allow UH to accept QHS IRB review and approval in lieu of UH IRB approval.
Information for submitting research protocols to the HPH IRB may be found at: Research at Hawaii Pacific Health – Hawaii Pacific Health
A request to use the HPH IRB must be routed to the HSP office. Use this form (here) to submit your HPH reliance request to the UH Human Studies Program.
A separate ceding / reliance agreement may be necessary. Researchers will need to work with the regulatory offices of both institutions.
Research previously approved by the UH Cooperative IRB will be transferred to the UH Biomedical IRB. Please contact us with any questions.
At the time of renewal or modification (or before), researchers will submit an application in the UH eProtocol system at: https://uhmanoa.keyusa.net/userLogin.do. Please include the original CHS # in the eProtocol application title on the Summary page.
Please let us know if you have any questions by emailing uhirb@hawaii.edu or calling 808.956.5007.
Mahalo piha to the IRB members who have served on the Cooperative IRB over the years. We are grateful to your service to the UH Research Community and research participants around the world.
Human Subjects Research Suspension or Termination
If research has been suspended or terminated, it may be important to consider how to appropriately and safely transition research participants off the study. While not Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP) guidance, you may find the following recommendations of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections to be helpful.
If you have received a notice of suspension or termination, any kind of stop-work order, or related notice from a federal sponsor, please immediately forward the email to Victoria Rivera, Assistant Vice President for Research Administration and Compliance at riveravg@hawaii.edu.
For more information, please visit the OVPRI Federal Funding Updates page.
Mahalo,
UH Human Studies Program Team
Safely Conducting In-Person Research
In response to the ongoing risk of respiratory disease transmission such as COVID-19 and RSV, the UH Human Studies Program continues to require a Safety Plan for all research proposing in-person interaction with participants to help prevent the spread of disease in our community.
This replaces the prior COVID-19 pandemic safety requirements. The prior color-coded impact levels have been removed. In addition to a Safety Plan, new studies will need to use revised consent form templates that have been updated to include a risk statement regarding in-person interaction safety.
Click here for:
In-Person Updated Safety Plan Instructions
Click here for Updated Consent Form Templates
About
The Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) is an institutional-wide program administered by the UH Human Studies Program (HSP) under the Office of Research Compliance. The HSP works together with the UH research community to ensure the health, welfare, rights, and dignity of people who participate in UH research. The HSP provides guidance and administrative support to its three UH Institutional Review Boards.
UH Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)
As part of the HRPP, the primary goal of the UH IRBs is to protect the rights and welfare of individuals recruited to participate in research activities conducted under the auspices of the University of Hawai‘i.
Researcher Responsibilities
As a UH investigator or research staff working on a human research study, you are expected to follow the federal, state, and university policies regarding the protection of research participants. The Investigator’s Handbook will help guide you through the policies and procedures related to the ethical conduct of human research.
HSP Program Information
The UH HRPP is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP).
Grant Application Information:
The UH HRPP has filed an Assurance with the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP). Assurance number FWA3526. Expiration date: September 17, 2030.