The SUNY Polytechnic Institute IRB
The IRB reviews research involving human subjects conducted under the auspices of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute. It oversees research activities conducted by or involving individuals including faculty, staff and students of SUNY Polytechnic by considering risks and anticipated benefits to the subjects and others.
Members of the IRB are professionally competent to ascertain the acceptability of research on human subjects and include at least one member who is not affiliated with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
IRB meetings: Second Tuesday of each month during the academic year.
- Ethical Principles and Federal Regulations (pdf)
- Authority, Roles, and Responsibilities of the IRB (pdf)
- IRB Membership (pdf)
IRB Contact Information
If you have any questions about research on human subjects being conducted under the auspices of the SUNY Polytechnic Institute, please contact the IRB:
Rebecca Weldon, Assistant Professor, IRB Chair, 100 Seymour Road, Utica, NY 13502
Jerome Niyirora, Associate Professor, IRB Vice Chair, 100 Seymour Road, Utica, NY 13502
Ross Goodman, Director of Compliance, 257 Fuller Road, Albany, NY 12203
- Director of Compliance Phone: 518-442-8696
- IRB email and submissions: Irb@sunypoly.edu
Application Information
Submitting Applications
Applications for human subjects research are submitted to the IRB via the IRB email. Human subjects research cannot begin until the protocol is approved by the IRB. Please see the tables and information below. Supporting information may also be required, such as copies of questions to be asked in surveys, images of equipment, etc. The Chair or Vice Chair will confirm receipt of materials. The researcher can expect a response in the following time frames for a particular review type and cycle. Revisions and clarifications may be requested. A protocol may undergo multiple review cycles. The time frames for review depend on the type of protocol submitted and are subject to availability of IRB members and convening of IRB meetings. See also the Frequently Asked Questions provided at the end of this page.
Table I: Type of Review and Decision Timeframe
| Type of review | Typical time frame |
| Convened Board | 8 weeks |
| Exempt | 3 weeks |
| Expedited Review | 3 weeks |
| Continuing Review | 3-8 weeks |
Required CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) Training
Human subjects research proposals require the researcher and their staff to submit completed CITI training documentation with their protocol submission and maintain that training during the research timeframe. SUNY Polytechnic has agreements in place for ethics and compliance training on the CITI website. You will need to submit both the detailed summary statement and the cover page completion documents. Begin with the Human Subjects Research Biomedical Comprehensive course modules. Contact the IRB for any needed guidance on specific training courses relevant to your research and how to take a course.
Levels of IRB Review
- Convened/Full: This route is for a research proposal that presents more than minimal risk to human subjects. Sponsors of proposals are invited to attend meetings to provide an overview of the project, and to deal with any ambiguities that might exist. Also, IRB members can give the sponsor direct feedback on the proposal should there be a need to clarify or change any procedures.
- Initial Full Board Review of Research (pdf)
- Form for proposal for IRB Review Proposal for Research Involving Human Subjects (pdf)
- Continuing Review of Research (pdf)
- Form for proposal for continuing review: Application for Continuing Review (pdf)
- Form for documenting consent: Consent Form (pdf)
- Expedited: For some types of innocuous or benign activities, the Chair may elect to consult with a subset of the Board for review.
- Expedited Review of Research (pdf)
- Form for proposal for expedited review: Form A-1 Expedited Review of Research (pdf)
- Continuing Review of Research (pdf)
- Form for proposal for continuing review: Application for Continuing Review (pdf)
- Form for documenting consent: Consent Form (pdf)
- Exempt: If you feel that your research involving human subjects should be exempt from IRB review, please read the Exempt Research policy, and submit the completed Application for Exemption form.
- Exempt Research (pdf)
- Form for requesting exemption from IRB review: Application for Exemption (word document)
- Form for documenting consent: Consent Form (pdf)
SUNY Poly IRB Membership
- Darlene Del Prato, PhD, RN, Associate Professor of Nursing
- Daniel Jones, PhD, PE, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology
- Marybeth McCall, MD
- Jerome Niyirora, PhD, Assistant Professor of Health Information Management
- Janet Paluh, PhD, Associate Professor of Nanobioscience
- Naren Peddibhotla, PhD, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems
- Jeanine Santelli, PhD, RN, Non-affiliated member
- Jim Staihar, PhD, JD, Assistant Professor of Ethics
- Rebecca Weldon, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Psychology
Additional Resources and Useful Links
