Institutional Review Board

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee of people who review plans for scientific studies that involve people. The committee’s job is to make sure that the studies protect the rights and welfare of research participants.
 
In most cases, human research cannot be done without the approval of an IRB. After research studies are started, the study staff is also required to report progress to the IRB. These reports help the IRB ensure all research rules and regulations are followed throughout the entire time a research study is done.
 
An IRB must include people from different backgrounds, so that many views are represented. The Kaiser Permanente interregional IRB includes women, men, doctors, scientists, non-scientists, patients, and people from the community who are not part of Kaiser Permanente. Each IRB member agrees to make decisions they think are best for the community and are not for their own interests. The Kaiser Permanente interregional IRB meets once a month.

Director, Human Research Protection Program
Office: 206-287-2919
Email: KPinterregionalIRB@kp.org

 

Tanya Matthews is the director of the Human Research Protection Program for the Kaiser Permanente interregional IRB office and the lead IRB administrator for Washington. She makes sure that Kaiser Permanente research studies are reviewed by the IRB according to regulatory and legal requirements. Tanya has been part of Kaiser Permanente's IRB since 2010.