To: OSU faculty and staff

From: Irem Tumer, Interim Vice President, Research Office

Date: March 24, 2020

Dear Human Subject Research related PI’s, support staff, and administrators,

Oregon State University has instituted new measures to protect the health of our community. In-person study visits must be discontinued unless those visits will have a direct therapeutic benefit to the subjects and are essential for their health and safety. Therapeutic benefit  refers to the results of treatment provided as part of the research protocol that benefit an  individual participant. Because we are facing a global pandemic, this directive applies to research conducted by OSU researchers at any site in the U.S. and abroad.

We are aware of the impact of this decision on faculty and student research and are prepared to help researchers think creatively about how to proceed. Where possible, move in-person visits to remote environments by calling study participants or meeting with them online using conference tools like Zoom. The Research Office is working closely with Information and Technology to develop guidance for these remote activities.

The Institutional Review Board and the Human Research Protection Program are following remote-work protocols; they are fully operational and continue to provide advising and conduct reviews. Guidance will be updated regularly on the HRPP website: https://research.oregonstate.edu/irb/covid-19-information.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Irem Y. Tumer, Ph.D., ASME Fellow
Vice President for Research, Interim