The following message was sent to faculty and staff on Oct. 26
Effective Oct. 26, 2020, in-person human subjects research may resume at SUNY New Paltz, subject to Human Research Ethics Board (HREB) COVID-19 guidelines.
Last spring, the College suspended all face-to-face human subjects research until such time as it could be safely resumed. We know that this inability to collect data during this time has been a hardship for many researchers in our community and we want to thank you for your understanding, cooperation and patience.
If at all possible, human subjects research should not be conducted in-person. If there are no other means of gathering meaningful data, then in-person human subjects research may resume subject to the HREB COVID-19 Guidelines linked below.
As the Interim Human Protections Administrator (HPA), I worked with the Chair of the Human Research Ethics Board, Maryalice Citera, and incoming HPA (spring 2021) Catherine Hoselton to develop guidelines for resuming in-person human subjects research on our campus.
In the development of these guidelines, we abided by the New York State Department of Health “Interim COVID 19 Guidance for Higher Education Research,” the SUNY New Paltz Fall Semester Restart Plan, best practices from multiple universities, and also consulted with the HREB. Draft guidelines were reviewed by members of the campus COVID-19 Planning Team and campus leadership and feedback incorporated to their satisfaction.
Guidelines
Guidelines for resuming in-person human subjects research during the COVID-19 pandemic are linked below and are housed on the HREB webpage and within the PACS Library:
HREB COVID-19 Restart Guidelines
HREB COVID-19 Checklist
HREB COVID-19 Health Screening
HREB COVID-19 Participant Contact Tracing Form
HREB COVID-19 Risk Participant Info Sheet
The HREB welcomes all questions, concerns, and comments regarding the conduct of human subjects research at SUNY New Paltz. Those specific to conducting HSR during COVID-19 may be addressed to HPA@newpaltz.edu or HREBChair@newpaltz.edu.
Be safe and be well.
Sincerely,
Jason S. Wrench, Interim Human Protections Administrator, Human Research Ethics Board
