Office of Research - Compliance

Animal Subjects

Human Subjects

Conflict of Interest

EH & S

Research Misconduct

Export Control

Stem Cell Research

Biosafety Committee

Human Subjects & Approval

What is the HSC?

The Human Subjects Committee (HSC) is an independent administrative committee mandated by the Department of Health and Human Services and responsible to the Office of Protection from Research Risks. The HSC is composed of a variety of professional and lay people knowledgeable in the fields that commonly use humans in research. The HSC is coordinated by a staff member in the Office of Research. This Coordinator, a voting member of the HSC, acts as liaison between the HSC, various governmental agencies, and the University community.

While acting independently, the HSC interacts with and plays an important role in both the Sponsored Projects and Research Development aspects of the Office of Research. In the development stage of any research project, the HSC Coordinator is available to the investigator for advice and assistance in planning the use of human subjects within Federal, State and University regulations. The exchange of information between the HSC Coordinator and the Sponsored Projects Office ensures that extramural funding is not released for the conduct of research without proper review and approval of the use of human subjects.

Who Needs HSC Approval?

All research involving human subjects conducted by OR using students, staff or faculty of UCSB must be reviewed and approved by the UCSB HSC.

This includes:

Pilot studies (yes, even *just* one subject).
Funded or unfunded research.
Research on yourself, your staff, your students, your lab staff, your friends, your enemies.

Where to Begin?

Okay. . .you've figured out what we do AND that you probably need Human Subjects approval. . .so what do you do next? If you haven't already, review the Information Sheets. This has replaced the HS packet that used to be distributed by the HSC and campus departments. It contains everything you ever wanted to know about Human Subjects regulations including a "Federalese" to English translation of many regulations. The request to use human subjects is made through a web based application module (ORahs.) You can find it here.

In the past, you would need to determine which type of approval (Exemption, Expedited, Full Board) to request. ORahs combines all applications into one. You may find discussing your project with Committee staff during the planning stages can simplify and shorten the approval process. If you have questions, contact Kathy Graham at 893-3807 or graham@research.ucsb.edu.

PLEASE NOTE: NO SUBJECTS MAY BE USED BEFORE AN APPROVAL FROM THE HSC IS RECEIVED. YOUR APPROVAL WILL INCLUDE A “RESEARCH MAY BEGIN” DATE. THIS IS THE EARLIEST YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR HUMAN SUBJECTS RESEARCH.