Because the UAMS IRB meets only on the first four Tuesdays of every month, there will be no meeting on Dec. 29th, which is a fifth Tuesday. If you have something awaiting review, the next available agenda is for Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Looking ahead to 2016, we notice that March, May, and August all have five Tuesdays. The IRB will not meet on the fifth Tuesday of those months. Please keep these meetingless weeks in mind if your full-board studies have continuing reviews due around those times. We can’t routinely extend CRs even if the IRB isn’t meeting on a particular Tuesday.
Also, here’s a reminder to plan ahead in general when you’re facing approval deadlines. If you know something needs review and approval by a certain date, please submit it as soon as possible. During last year’s wintry weather we had to cancel two IRB meetings in a row, as the IRB does not meet on some inclement weather days. It got a little ugly for research teams who needed submissions reviewed around that time.