We are supportive of quality research. Individuals interested in conducting research involving Department of Human Services (DHS) clients, employees or data must submit a research proposal to be approved by our Institutional Review Board (IRB), which meets the third Wednesday of each month, unless otherwise noted.

To protect the individual rights and safety of any human subjects, and to comply with federal laws, DHS uses the following policy and procedures when reviewing research proposals. These procedures and instructions must be followed before the researcher begins any research involving human subjects.

If a researcher proposes to change any research design, procedures or instruments previously approved by the DHS IRB, the researcher must secure approval for such changes before implementing them. The DHS IRB must review ongoing research at least once a year.

To submit a proposal for review, please follow the steps given in the Application document on the right of this page.