Community-based participatory research and the ethics review process

THIS EXPLORATORY STUDY EXAMINES the experiences of community-based participatory researchers' (CBPR) with the IRB. CBPR is oftentimes applied to non-clinical questions where academic researchers collaborate with community partners to address local concerns. Constant Comparative Method guided the analysis of ten CBPR interviews. The interview questions included: How does your conceptualization of research coincide with the regulations' definition? How are community partners involved in the IRB process? What are the benefits/challenges of the IRB process? And, what recommendations do you have to strengthen the IRB process? The article concludes with suggestions for IRB reviewers and CBPR partners on how to facilitate the review of CBPR projects.