All research conducted or sponsored by Duquesne University must comply with strict federal regulations governing the safety of subjects and researchers. Faculty and student researchers must have completed training in various aspects of research conduct governing their work. Training is on-line at no cost to Duquesne faculty, students, and staff. Simply go to the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website, register, and list your institution as Duquesne University and you will find a complete course list including: Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Biosafety, Conflict of Interest, and Biomedical Responsible Conduct of Research training.

Human Subjects Research

All research conducted or sponsored by Duquesne University that involves human subjects must be pre-approved by the Institutional Review Board for Protection of Human Subjects. 

Mentor IRB is an IRB web-based application that facilitates the submission of proposed research protocols, and monitors the ongoing progress of existing protocols.

Animal Use

All research conducted or sponsored by Duquesne University that involves live vertebrate animals must be approved by the IACUC before research begins.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) emphasize the privacy, security, and confidentiality of protected health information (PHI) including patient records, whether in oral, written, or electronic format. Should PHI be the source of research data from a covered entity, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) must ensure HIPAA compliance such that the subject's PHI remains confidential. In addition, the covered entities want assurances that the PHI will be used in accordance with HIPAA standards. Covered entities are defined as health care providers, such as hospitals, doctors' offices, health departments, and many others who transmit patient health information electronically. In addition to health care providers, covered entities can include insurance companies, human resource offices, health care billing companies, and others.

Please log in to Mentor, and if applicable, complete the HIPAA forms and follow instructions located on the Info Page tab under Submitting a Protocol.  Contact Joan M. Kiel, Ph.D, CHPS, Chairperson, University Healthcare Compliance, at kiel@duq.edu.

Biosafety & Radiation Safety

All individuals who intend to acquire, transport or engage in research with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Select Agents and CDC Select Agents, as defined by the CDC and USDA are required to inform the Office of Research before work can begin. Select Agents are certain viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, fungi and toxins defined by CDC and the USDA. Research in our laboratories must adhere to the CDC's guidelines in "Biosafety in Microbial and Biomedical Laboratories", 6th Edition 2020.

All research conducted at Duquesne University involving recombinant DNA molecules must be approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) using the Biosafety Committee registration document. This must be done before the laboratory phase of the research begins. Questions concerning this procedure should be directed to the committee chair, Dr.%20Jan%20Janecka.

Biosafety Committee Registration Document

NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules

Biosafety: All individuals who intend to acquire, transport or engage in research with CDC, USDA Select Agents and CDC Select Agents, as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are required to inform the Office of Research before work can begin. Select Agents are certain viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, fungi and toxins defined by CDC and the USDA. Research in our laboratories must adhere to CDC’s guidelines Biosafety in Microbial and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th Edition 2007.

The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2002, requires under punishment by fine or imprisonment notification, strict handling and security procedures for possession, transportation or research work with Select Agents.

The University has adopted an Exposure Control Plan for compliance with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Program standard. The Plan is administered by the Environmental Health & Safety Department and training for employees at risk is provided by Duquesne’s Health Services.

Research Policies (RPs)

Please review the following Duquesne University administrative policies related to research-

For more information regarding responsible conduct of research and compliance, contact the Office of Research and Innovation staff.

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Office of Research and Innovation