How much human subjects research is conducted at The Ohio State University?
How many people are involved in human research?
And how are these studies funded?
If you’ve ever wondered about the size of Ohio State’s human research portfolio, this is the post for you!
About the metrics
Ohio State is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). The data below come from our AAHRPP annual report, which was submitted in March 2021.
In addition, this past August AAHRPP released its 2020 metrics summarizing human research protection program (HRPP) performance from all accredited institutions. Even among academic institutions, there’s a wide range of HRPP size and composition.
Post continues after the job announcement.
Join our team:
New IRB Coordinator position!
ORRP is seeking candidates for an entry-level IRB coordinator position to help manage and maintain electronic files and documents, coordinate IRB meetings, and provide logistical support to IRB operations. The coordinator role is primarily administrative and a great point of entry into the world of human research regulations!
- Requisition number R35799
- Option to work remotely
- Hiring range: $19.52-$26.06/hour
Apply by January 18, 2022!
Ohio State’s HRPP Portfolio
Our March 2021 report counted over 6,200 active studies at Ohio State in the previous 12-month period. The count includes studies reviewed by one of our three internal IRBs, studies ceded to external IRBs (like WIRB-Copernicus Group) for review, and studies determined to be exempt from IRB requirements.*
* Because we require Final Study Reports only for studies reviewed by an Ohio State IRB, the number of active ceded and exempt studies are estimates.
At the time of our annual report, 23 ORRP staff members supported the activities of the HRPP. We’re currently operating with a smaller staff—you may recall our announcements about IRB analyst job postings—but we hope to be fully staffed in early 2022.
The People Behind the Research
Over 4,000 researchers and nearly 3,500 research coordinators/support staff contributed to human subjects research, as shown in the infographic below.
And of course, none of these studies would have been possible without the service of our dedicated IRB reviewers, most of whom volunteer their time to ensure each study protects participants and complies with regulations and institutional policies. If you missed our June blog post recognizing Ohio State’s IRB members, be sure to check it out here.
Nearly 7,500 people contributed to research as either investigators or key personnel on active IRB studies during the reporting period. Ninety-two faculty, staff, and community members served on Ohio State’s IRBs during fiscal year 2021.
One HRPP, Three IRBs
About 4,200 studies were reviewed by one of Ohio State’s three IRBs.
- The Behavioral & Social Sciences IRB reviews non-medical research and projects that employ social science research methods. Nearly a third of all non-exempt, internally reviewed research was reviewed by this board.
- The Cancer IRB reviews research involving cancer patients or investigating topics related to oncology. Cancer research accounts for a quarter of internally reviewed protocols.
- The Biomedical Sciences IRB reviews all other medical-focused research.
According to the 2021 AAHRPP annual report, about 30 percent of studies reviewed internally were in the behavioral and social sciences compared to 70 percent with a medical focus.
To learn more about board assignment, including criteria for ceding studies to external IRBs such as WIRB-Copernicus Group IRB or NCI Central IRB, see our policy Board Assignment and Reviewer Assignment for Convened Review.
Wondering who is currently serving on the IRBs? You can always find up-to-date rosters on our About HRPP page.
Research Funding
Conducting cutting-edge research costs money. The infographic below displays the distribution of monetary support for research conducted at Ohio State compared to other AAHRPP-accredited academic institutions.
Like many of our peer institutions, most research—just over half—was conducted without external financial support. Twenty-seven percent of studies were sponsored by the government or federal agency, compared to 18% of studies at other academic institutions. Industry sponsored 14% of Ohio State research, with other external sponsors accounting for 4% of funding (compared to 12% and 8% of academic institutions, respectively).
Did any of these numbers surprise you? Are you curious about other HRPP metrics or how these numbers change over time?
We hope to make this topic a regular feature, with a more comprehensive “by the numbers/state of the IRB” report-out each summer. Stay tuned!