OCOM's Research Department serves the college community by working closely with the College Research Committee (CRC) and Institutional Review Board (IRB) to facilitate clinic-based research, as well as faculty- and student-initiated research projects.
If you are interested in proposing a research study, read Common Types of Research Projects.
All research involving human subjects (i.e. clinical trials, patient or practitioner surveys, retrospective review of medical records or clinic charts) requires review and approval by the OCOM Institutional Research Board (IRB). The College Research Committee (CRC) provides the initial review of each proposed study by looking at the scientific merit, feasibility and institutional impact of each submission. Recommendations may be made to improve the study design and methods and to conform to the IRB’s requirements.
There are two broad categories of research that vary in their requirements.
- Exempt research: retrospective chart reviews, prospective anonymous surveys
- Non-exempt research: intervention studies, prospective studies that obtain personal identifiers
The process for proposing a research study at OCOM is as follows:
- Complete the IRB Questionnaire (IRBQ)*. Attach a Research Proposal using a standardized format, Consent Form (required for intervention and prospective non-anonymous studies), surveys, questionnaires, phone scripts for contacting participants, and other recruiting tools. Send signed copies and one electronic copy to Ben Marx at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You may be assigned a mentor to provide oversight, solidify details, scope, purpose, etc, of the study.
*We recommend downloading the PDF form, rather than completing it within your web browser. - The CRC will review the IRBQ and the relevant appendices and will make recommendations for revisions needed prior to submitting the application to the IRB. After the proposed research has been discussed and the forms have been finalized and forwarded to the IRB, the IRB will review the study. Additional changes and documentation may be required.
- Complete submissions must be submitted at least two working days before the monthly meeting of the College Research Committee to allow the committee enough time to review the documents.
- Complete submissions must be submitted at least one week before the scheduled meeting of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to allow the IRB enough time to review the documents.
Some samples of the required forms are available to assist the researcher in completing the forms:
IRB Questionnaire Examples:
Prospective survey/data collection (non-exempt)
Prospective qualitative research/interviews (non-exempt)
Retrospective cohort study (exempt)
Study Proposal Examples:
Prospective survey/data collection (non-exempt)
