Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Welcome to the UTHSC IRB! The website is being re-designed to make it easier for you to work with the IRB and locate the information you need. We are streamlining the navigation, posting popular items where you can find them quickly, and adding new features. Check back frequently for updates!

Getting Started - Preparing for IRB Submission

Step 1: Get a UT Net ID

Make sure that all key study personnel (KSP) associated with the project have a UT username and password, as the IRB electronic system, iMedRIS, uses the UT Net ID system to allow initial access. If you do not have a UT Net ID, then you will not be able to log into iMedRIS. In addition, if any of the KSP associated with your project do not have a UT and iMedRIS account, you will not be able to add them to your project. If you have been issued a UTHSC email account, then you have a UT Net ID; a call to the HELP desk (448-2222) may be necessary if you are unsure of your Net ID status or have forgotten your password.

For non-UTHSC affiliated users who do not currently have a UT Net ID, a UT faculty/staff member will have to sponsor the non-UTHSC individual into the UT system. This may be accomplished through the following steps:

• The UT faculty/staff member should go to the UTHSC home page at http://www.uthsc.edu/
• Click on iLogin at the top right of the screen in the orange bar, near Blackboard
• Type in your UT username and password, and click the Login button
• Click on Administration
• Click on NetID Online Request/Renewal and follow the online instructions
• Usually within a few days, the UT faculty/staff member will receive a UT username and password that they may then forward to the non-UTHSC affiliated user

Once all KSP associated with the project have a UT Net ID and password, each user must log into iMedRIS for the first time at https://ris01.uthsc.edu. Next, he/she will immediately click the "Logout" button in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Finally, he/she must contact Tricia Page, iMedRIS Program Manager, at ppage@uthsc.edu and indicate the department with which he/she is affiliated so that his/her department access can be set up and the account can be fully activated.

Note: Once you receive your UT Net ID and password and your iMedRIS account has been set up, all iMedRIS correspondence will be sent automatically to your new UT email account. You may contact the HELP Desk at (901) 448-2222 to have your new UT email forwarded to another email account such as Methodist, yahoo, gmail, etc.

Step 2: Get human subjects protection training for all key study personnel

Make sure that all KSP associated with your project have completed the required education on the protection of human research volunteers.

If you have completed the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training with UTHSC within the last 3 years, this information will be added to your IRB submission.

If you or your staff needs CITI certification, click on the Training link on the left side of the screen, or go to www.citiprogram.org and complete the online certification modules for Group 3.

If you or some of your staff completed CITI certification with another institution or organization within the last 3 years, you can affiliate your certification with UTHSC by completing the following steps:

• Log onto the CITI website
• Once logged in, click the link Affiliate with another institution
• Choose University of Tennessee Health Science Center - Memphis from the drop down list of Participating Institutions and click Submit
• After updating any necessary information, click Submit
• On the next screen, scroll down to ensure the appropriate Group is checked under CITI Course Enrollment Questions
• Scroll to the bottom and click Continue
• Affiliation with UTHSC is now complete
• You will need to return to the main menu and click the link Incomplete under required modules.
• Click Re-enter and complete the Integrity Assurance Statement by clicking the link near the top.

If you need any assistance or have any questions regarding the CITI training, please contact Patricia Kerby in the Office of Human Subjects Protection at 448-1869 or pkerby@uthsc.edu.

Step 3: Create/Complete an IRB electronic submission

Click on the iMedRIS Login button on the left side of the screen or go to https://ris01.uthsc.edu to log into the IRB electronic system.

Once you have logged into iMedRIS, click on the blue Study Assistant tab on the left. Next, click on Add a new Study to begin the electronic application. After you complete the electronic application, you will be prompted to upload master protocols, investigator's brochures, surveys, questionnaires, consent form(s), and other study documents. You will then be able to route the application and all associated documents to all investigators and the department chair (if applicable) so that the appropriate signatures are obtained before the IRB receives it.

Should you have any questions regarding the IRB electronic application do not hesitate to contact the IRB office at (901) 448-4824. In addition, consult the 2-hour online training video located under the Training link to the left side of the screen and/or the printable Guides and Tips located under the iMedRIS Guides & Tips page to the left. If you need more individualized assistance, you may request a one-on-one training from the IRB.

Step 4: Be sure to address appropriate institutional requirements

If you will be conducting your project/study at any of the following sites, or if your study is associated with any of the following organizations, be sure to click on the iMedRIS Login tab on the left and click on the appropriate link(s) to address any additional administrative requirements set by these offices affiliated with the UTHSC IRB:

• The Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI)
• Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
• The Regional Medical Center at Memphis (the MED)
• UT Medical Group, Inc.

Contact Us

UTHSC IRB office
910 Madison
Suite 600
Memphis, TN 38163

Phone: (901) 448-4824
Fax: (901) 448-5103
Email: irb@uthsc.edu