The UAMS Research Legal Office has advised that some types of human subject research may not be allowable under recent federal and state requirements related to diversity, equity, and inclusion measures.
These restrictions apply to both new studies and to those that are ongoing, per information provided by research legal.
The following information was provided by the office of general counsel and indicates possible non-compliance with federal and state laws:
- Using DEI or other euphemistic terms.
- Substituting neutral criteria for protected characteristics (race, sex, color, religion, and national origin) with the intention of advantaging or disadvantaging individuals based on these characteristics. Geographic or Institutional Targeting appears neutral but implements recruitment strategies targeting specific geographic areas, institutions, or organizations primarily because of racial or ethnic composition.
- Studying a population based on race or sex that would provide a benefit or advantage to that population in a way that disadvantages other populations. Example: study of a specific population from a low resource area who smoke is non-compliant because there are other groups that smoke from this area.
- Using federal funds in the form of a subaward to support third-party programs that discriminate.
Investigators are asked to review their new and ongoing projects to assess compliance with these new requirements. If you have questions about this review in general or about a particular protocol, please contact Dr. Dan Voth (dvoth@uams.edu) for more information. The IRB office, when reviewing your submissions, may also advise you to consult Dr. Voth regarding a particular study.
Please note that if you have made changes to a study at the request of a funder to comply with new regulatory requirements, those changes must be submitted to the IRB for review and approval before implementation.