Institutional Review Board

About the Institutional Review Board

The Simpson University Institutional Review Board (IRB) partners with researchers to ensure that the rights, welfare, and privacy of individuals participating in research conducted under the auspices of Simpson University are protected. The IRB has the authority to approve, require modifications in, or disapprove all research activities that fall within its jurisdiction.

All research which utilizes the resources of Simpson University and/or will be presented as having been sanctioned by, sponsored by, or related to Simpson University, must undergo review by the Institutional Review Board. Any researcher who wishes to use Simpson University faculty, staff, and/or students in a study, regardless of the researcher's affiliation or lack thereof with Simpson University, must submit a proposal to the Simpson University IRB.

The IRB is responsible to review any proposed research with human participants that occurs outside of established or commonly accepted educational settings involving normal educational practices such as regular course evaluations or student assessment. Any project that meets all of the following criteria must submit an IRB application.

  • Systematically collects data from multiple human participants and…
  • Stores the data for analysis, and…
  • Publicly presents or archives in printed/electronic form a summary of the results that will be available to others outside of normal classroom activities at Simpson University.

Important Links

Members and Contact Information

Per federal regulations, Simpson University’s IRB includes 4 faculty and administrators with varying fields of expertise as well as one community member. A community member will be selected soon. More Federal regulations

IRB Membership
Patrick Blewett (Chair), Theology, pblewett@simpsonu.edu
Reg Watson, Clinical Psychology - Grad Level, rwatson@simpsonu.edu
Misty Smith, Nursing, mdsmith@simpsonu.edu
En-Ling Chiao, Psychology, echiao@simpsonu.edu

Simpson University - IRB
irb@simpsonu.edu
Attn: Patrick Blewett - IRB Chair
2211 College View Drive
Redding, CA 96003

Phone: (530) 226-4144
Email: pblewett@simpsonu.edu