Single IRB Institutional Review Board

Information about our inspection history can be found at: https://irb.utah.edu/about/irb-fwa.php  

The University of Utah includes academic departments that are outside the Covered Entity, and medical departments, clinics, and hospitals that are inside the Covered Entity.  

Applicable State Laws  

1. By judicial petition
2. By marriage 
3. By joining the armed forces

Research Involving Children  

1. Any married person, for a spouse
2. Any person 18 years of age or older for his or her parent who is unable by reason of age, physical or mental condition, to provide such consent 
3. Any individual designated with power of attorney 
4. A legally appointed guardian

Research Involving Individuals with Decisional Impairment

Individual authorized with legal authority to provide consent on behalf of the participant (e.g. an individual named in an Advanced Health Care Directive or in a Medical Power of Attorney)  Spouse  Adult child (18 years of age or over) for his or her parent  

Please consult our guidance titled “Surrogate Consent” for more information. Utah has several requirements related to legally authorized representatives.  

Local policy requires all prospective research with participant interaction conducted by University of Utah researchers within the state of Utah, to have provisions for including people who speak Spanish. Learn more at: https://irb.utah.edu/blog/posts/2023/march/spanish.php.

Studies may utilize either a full Spanish translation of the consent document or the Spanish Short Form consent process, depending on what is most reasonable for the study. Provisions must include the following:  

• Recruitment methods for people who speak Spanish, including translated recruitment materials and interpretation services if individuals would like to discuss the study.  
• Consent processes for people who speak Spanish, including translated consent documents and interpretation services during the consent process and discussion.  
• Methods for ongoing communication with and data collection from participants who speak Spanish, including translated study materials and interpretation services for ongoing communication.    

Our Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) includes several different components.  

1. Center for Clinical Translational Services
2. Huntsman Cancer Institute Project Review & Monitoring Committee 
3. Institutional Biosafety Committee 
4. Primary Children’s Hospital 
5. Radiological Drug Research Committee and Human Use Subcommittee 
6. Resource for Genetic and Epidemiological Research  

Requirements and results determined required by the group/committee will be communicated to the internal or external IRB of record via ERICA and/or the University of Utah Facilitated Review Process. 

University of Utah investigators must follow this HRPP review process to initiate a study at the University of Utah. Research may not begin at our site until the study team receives formal notification from the HRPP that our site has been activated by the HRPP. 

Utah includes a very religious community, with roughly half of the state’s population identifying as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Utah also includes a large multi-lingual refugee population, and is predominantly politically conservative, with increasing areas of liberal and progressive communities in more populated areas of the state.  1 in 7 Utahns older than age 5 speaks a language other than English in their home, with the top five languages spoken in the state being English (85%), Spanish (~10%), Chinese, German, and Navajo (source: Utah Department of Health).    

Utah includes a highly educated population, with an estimated 45% of adults having at least some college education. Utahns are generally supportive of quality human subject research.  The state is a center of education, information technology and research, agriculture, mining, ranching, salt production, and is a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation.