Institutional Review Board Committee

Standing Committee Members

Dr. Leslie North – Geography & Geology (Co-Chair), OCSE

Dr. Dana Sullivan – Social Work, CHHS (Co-Chair), CHHS

Dr. Maire Blankenship – Nursing, CHHS

Dr. Qin Zhao – Psychology, CEBS

Dr. Christina Noel – School of Teacher Education, CEBS

Dr. Ismail Civelek – Department of Management, GFCB

Dr. Kumi Ishii – School of Media & Communication, PCAL

Dr. Yuyun Lei – Department of Modern Languages, PCAL

Dr. Katrina Burch – Psychological Sciences, OCSE

Dr. Phillip Coleman – Community Member

Mr. Todd Hazel – Community Member (alt.)

Mrs. Kim Olin-Blue – Assistant Director of Compliance, Office of Research Integrity (ex officio)

Appointment

Members for this committee are appointed by the Associate Provost for Research.

Purpose

This committee has been established in order to regulate research involving human subjects at WKU in line with all applicable federal, state and local regulations. The WKU IRB reviews all research protocols involving human subjects; reviews and addresses concerns involving the use of human subjects in research; advises faculty, staff and students on the ethical conduct of research involving people; conducts appropriate reviews of the University’s program, and develops guidelines to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations.

Meetings

This committee meets once per month throughout the year.

IRB Committee Schedule

All meetings will be held via Zoom and tentatively scheduled to begin at 10:15 am. Schedule changes may occur.

• January 16, 2026
• February 20, 2026
• March 27, 2026
• April 17, 2026
• June 12, 2026
• July 17, 2026
• August 14, 2026
• September 18, 2026
• October 23, 2026
• November 20, 2026

 

Applications for full board review must be submitted by the first of the month in order to be reviewed at that months meeting.