Vanderbilt's Human Research Protection Program will launch the third and final phase of its institutional review board transition on Jan. 1, 2026, inviting eligible studies to move from Vanderbilt University Medical Center's IRB to Vanderbilt's new social, behavioral and educational research IRB.
The Vanderbilt SBER IRB oversees nonmedical research involving humans and keeps the focus on university-based research needs and continuity.
"Completing the IRB transition strengthens the university's ability to support our research community," said Elizabeth Zechmeister, senior associate provost for research and development and interim chief research officer. "I want to thank our HRPP team for their hard work in building the new IRB and for continuing to uphold the highest standards for human research at Vanderbilt."
Which studies should transition?
Most SBER studies that require continuing review, including full committee and expedited studies, as well as exempt studies with limited review, are candidates for transition when the timing makes sense.
Investigators are encouraged to make the transition at natural pauses in their research to minimize disruption for participants and teams. Examples include:
- finishing data collection and beginning analysis
- launching a new phase that adds collaborators or complexity
- shifting to secondary analysis or new study questions
Studies cannot be transferred directly between IRBs. Investigators should submit a new protocol to the Vanderbilt IRB, and once it is approved, close the corresponding study with VUMC. This process prevents any gap in approval and keeps research running smoothly.
These studies should not move:
- Projects nearing completion, especially those expected to close within six months
- Projects with exempt determination that do not require follow-up
- Multi-site projects with a single IRB of record, including those where Vanderbilt relies on another institution
Researchers with studies that are complete should close them out with the VUMC IRB before the end of the fall semester.
The Vanderbilt IRB can help assess individual cases. Researchers can also use the HRPP Determination Tool on the IRB website to find out whether a project meets the SBER criteria to move, or whether it should remain under VUMC oversight.
Collaboration key to creating the new IRB
Since its launch, the Vanderbilt IRB has focused on collaboration and responsiveness.
A short-term working group with faculty from several schools is redesigning the protocol template to make pre-review more efficient. The IRB team also added new guidance for community-engaged and international research.
As phase three begins, the IRB will continue offering office hours and one-on-one consultations to help investigators decide when and how to move studies. Researchers should reach out early to plan transitions that minimize participant impact and maintain study integrity.
"Building the new IRB from the ground up has depended on collaboration," said Liudmila Tahai, director of Vanderbilt's HRPP. "The feedback researchers have given us directly guided the updates and tools we've introduced to make the process clearer and more efficient."
Detailed instructions for phase three, including step-by-step guidance and links to office hours, are on the Vanderbilt IRB website.
