IRB Form and Meeting Dates

Institutional Review Board
IRB Applications must be submitted by the 15th of the month prior to the meeting date in order to be considered at the following meeting. 

The dates for the 2012-2013 academic year meetings of the Institutional Review Board are as follows:

  • September 10, 2012
  • October 1
  • November 5
  • December  3
  • January 7, 2013
  • February 4
  • March 4
  • April 8
  • May 6
  • June 3
  • July 1
  • August 5

IRB Going Paperless
The IRB (Institutional Review Board) has now gone paperless. In the past the IRB required that researchers submit one paper copy and one electronic copy. A paper copy will no longer be required.  The process of getting forms signed and moving the paper from one location to the next was time consuming. The great part about this change is that it will save everyone time and paper.  Instead of one paper form that is required to be signed by each party, we will now accept a chain of electronic signatures in the form of St. John’s emails.  In order for these signatures to be valid they must come from St. John’s email accounts.  For example, a student will attach all IRB documents to a St. John’s email, those documents will be sent to the faculty supervisor’s St. John’s email account.  The faculty supervisor will review all documents, approve, and forward all documents to the Department Chair’s St. John’s email account.  The Department Chair will review all documents, approve and forward all documents to the Dean’s St. John’s email account.  The Dean will review all documents, approve and forward to the IRB: nitopim@stjohns.edu. 

Revisions and approval letters will be done electronically as well.  Please see the step by step process below that must be followed:

Process for Students

  1. The student sends an email to his/her Faculty Supervisor with all required IRB documents attached.
  2. The Faculty Supervisor forwards the email with the documents to the Department Chair with a statement of approval. For example, “I have reviewed the attached IRB documents and approve.”
  3. The Department Chair forwards the email with the documents with a statement of approval to the Dean.
  4. The Dean forwards the email with a statement of approval and the running history of approvals to Marie Nitopi, Ed.D., IRB Coordinator, at nitopim@stjohns.edu.
  5. The IRB will then print this email as the signature page.


Process for Faculty/Administrators

  1. The Faculty/Administrator sends an email with all required IRB documents attached to the Dean.
  2. The Dean forwards the email with a statement of approval and the running history of approvals to Marie Nitopi, Ed.D., IRB Coordinator, at nitopim@stjohns.edu.
  3. The IRB will then print this email as the signature page.


If you have any questions concerning this new process then please contact Marie Nitopi, Ed.D., IRB Coordinator, at nitopim@stjohns.edu.