Gone are the days of research data being exclusively obtained through the use of paper and pencil survey instruments. With ever-growing technology from shared drives, cloud-based programs and internet data collection, the need for researchers to safeguard their records for the privacy of human subjects has expanded to new horizons. Researchers are federally required to provide a plan for protecting the confidentiality of their research data when it is collected, stored, transmitted or shared.

It is imperative that FAU researchers work with their department, college and university technology experts to receive guidance as to the best way to secure and safeguard research data.

It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to our new IRB Coordinator, Danae Montgomery. Danae comes to FAU from The Medical University of South Carolina where she worked as a Program Coordinator assisting PI's with their applications for grants and with their submissions to the IRB. 

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Hampton University and her Master of Public Health, Administration & Policy from Florida State University. We're thrilled to have Danae join our team and are confident her patience and passion to help others will make her an invaluable asset to researchers and the FAU community. Join us in extending a warm welcome to Danae!

IRB Workshops are back for the fall. These sessions will be offered throughout the semester and guide you through the process of submitting your research project for IRB review. The workshop will provide a general overview of the IRB, the training requirements for all researchers, navigating the IRBNet system and more. Dates of workshops are forthcoming. Watch your e-mail for flyers.  

The Institutional Animal Care and Use (IACUC) program will be hosting an all-hands meeting,  10 a.m. - Noon, Friday, Sept. 23 in the following locations: Video conferencing will be available in the following locations:
LA 139 - Davie Campus
LE 103 - HBOI
RE 201 (MC-19) - Jupiter Campus

All interested members of the FAU community are welcome and we encourage PI's and senior lab researchers using animals in their research, teaching or testing to attend. The chair of the IACUC, Dr. Robert Stackman, Dr. Sylvia Gografe, attending veterinarian and director of Comparative Medicine, and Dr. Kristen Ware, assistant director of Research Integrity, will discuss updates to the policies, including new additions, IACUC office procedures, vivarium procedures and an overview of the highlights to the new IACUC forms. 

Fall Semi-Annual Inspections

IACUC semi-annual inspections will be taking place Oct. 6 - 20. Animal Research Protections Program (ARPP) staff and IACUC members will form teams to visit every lab and housing area on every campus where animals are used in research. Researchers should anticipate inspections to take between 10-30 minutes depending on the complexity of their research and whether they run an investigator managed facility. Over the next few weeks, the ARPP will work with researchers to coordinate the dates for each facility's inspection.