The Pace Institutional Review Board (IRB) is charged with reviewing proposed human research protocols in order to ensure that the rights of participants are protected and that risk of harm is minimized. The framework for the protection of human participants is set in Federal regulation and the Belmont Report. Board members provide ethical review of human research and help ensure compliance with Pace University policies and procedures, federal regulations, and state and local laws.
The Pace Institutional Review Board (IRB) operates according to the requirements in Sections 5, 6, and 7 of the "HRPP Policies and Procedures" document.
HRPP Policies and Procedures (PDF)
Training Requirements to Conduct Human Research
All investigators performing research with human subjects must have a current certificate of training from the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program in either the "Social & Behavioral Research – Basic/Refresher" course or the "Biomedical Research – Basic/Refresher" course.
How to log in to the CITI Program website (PDF).
Activities that Do Not Require Submission to the Pace IRB
Submission to the Pace IRB is not required if an Investigator is not acting as an agent of Pace University, or if an activity qualifies as either “Not Human Subjects Research” or “Not Engaged.”
Students who carry out projects involving intervention or interaction with living individuals or their identifiable data where the purpose of the project is to fulfill a class requirement, and not to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge, are also not required to submit the project to the IRB. However, the faculty member responsible for the class must have submitted to the IRB and received an outcome letter from the IRB stating that the faculty’s review process is acceptable.
If, after reviewing Section 2 of the "HRPP Policies and Procedures" you have questions about whether your project requires a submission to the IRB, please email the IRB at paceirb@pace.edu.
Activities that Do Require Submission to the Pace IRB
Investigators must submit to the Pace IRB prior to beginning any project that involves research with human subjects, determined as described in Section 2 of the "HRPP Policies and Procedures." Submission to the IRB must occur through the electronic system. For information on how to access the electronic system, see the PURRS FAQ.
Investigators should contact the IRB if they have any questions about the submission requirements.
Application Process
The Pace University Research Review System (PURRS) is an electronic system for IRB application submission and management of IRB-related study records. The system provides automation to the IRB application and review process with conditioned questions, electronic signatures and routing, and email notifications. It also allows for collaboration between researchers when completing the IRB application, as well as collaboration with the Office of Sponsored Research during IRB review of the application. The system maintains all IRB-related records for your projects.
Log into PURRS. Pace faculty, staff and students can use their Pace University Single Sign-On (SSO) credentials to log in.
Once an application is submitted it will go through pre-review. If revisions are needed it will be returned to the investigator/s. Once all required revisions have been made, it will be formally reviewed. All investigators should leave at least 4 weeks for review, though simple, exempt applications are often returned more quickly than that.
Meet the IRB
IRB Co-Chairs
Christopher-John Godfrey, PhD
IRB Co-Chair & Clinical Associate Professor Psychology, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
Email: cgodfrey@pace.edu
Sharon S. Wexler, PhD, RN, FNGNA
IRB Co-Chair & Professor and Director College of Health Professions
Email: swexler@pace.edu
2025–2026 IRB Members
Sheila Chiffriller, PhD
Faculty
James Conte, PhD
Volunteer
John Damiao, PhD, OTR/L
Faculty
Lin Drury, PhD, C-NP, RN
Faculty
Brenna Hassinger-Das, PhD
Faculty
Vishal Lala, PhD
Faculty
Stephen Phelps, MDiv
Volunteer
Rita Upmacis, PhD, FRSC
Faculty
Zhan Zhang, PhD
Faculty
2025–2026 IRB Alternate Members
Guler Boyraz, PhD
Faculty
Marie Lourdes Charles, EdD, RN
Faculty