8.02 Office for Human Research Administration

Appeal Procedure

A student has the right to appeal any accommodation decision by filing a written explanation and petition for reconsideration. The Disability Coordinator will first attempt to mediate with the student and faculty/staff member.

If the Disability Coordinator is unable to resolve the matter, they will present the student's petition to the Academic Progress and Review Board for the Master’s Programs (APRB), chaired by the Associate Dean for Graduate Education. In adherence with confidentiality policies, the Disability Coordinator will obtain the student's written permission prior to distributing primary clinical documentation to members of the APRB, if relevant to the petition.

Members of the APRB will discuss the case and offer recommendation(s) for a solution. Within three school days following the APRB meeting, the Disability Coordinator will notify the student and faculty/staff member of the APRB’s recommendation(s).

If the APRB resolution is still unsatisfactory, the student may appeal in writing to:

Harvard University Disability Coordinator Office of the Assistant to the President Smith Campus Center, Room 935 Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-1540

The University Disability Coordinator's decision will be final. In most circumstances, the University Coordinator will not overturn the decision of the ABP unless he or she is presented with new information regarding the request that has not been considered by the APRB.

Harvard Medical School expressly reserves the right to make changes to its written policies, rules, and regulations that are consistent with its legal obligations of nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodation. The above information is not intended, and should not be construed, to give rise to contractual rights and obligations.

8.02 Office for Human Research Administration

The Harvard Medical School Office of Human Research Administration (OHRA) is responsible for the approval and oversight of human research conducted at HMS. All such research must receive approval from the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to the start of the study. Details about policy and procedures can be found at https://hlc.harvard.edu/ohra/

Determining if a Master's Student Needs HMS IRB Approval

1. If the student is also employed as a fellow at an HMS-affiliated hospital and is conducting Master’s research as part of the fellowship, then usually only hospital IRB approval is needed. In those cases where HMS is the recipient of a grant or other award which funds the research, HMS approval would be needed. 2. If the student is not employed as a fellow at an HMS-affiliated hospital but is conducting Master’s research at an affiliated hospital, the student needs to contact the OHRA to determine what type of action may be taken. 3. If the student is not employed as a fellow at an HMS-affiliated hospital and is conducting Master’s research at an international site, the student must contact the OHRA to obtain IRB approval even if the student already has approval from the international site. (Harvard will not cede review to an international site’s IRB.) 4. If the student is not employed as a fellow at an HMS-affiliated hospital and is conducting Master’s research at HMS (in a Quad department), the student would need IRB approval for any human subject research or might need to be added to an already approved study. 5. Please see https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/regulatory-affairs-and-researchcompliance/ for more information and contacts.

Important links

Information and forms for submitting IRB applications for research are available at https://hlc.harvard.edu/ohra/.

Guidelines for Research with Students as Participants

Students may participate in any study for which they are eligible; however, in order to prevent any coercion (or perception of coercion) or undue pressure for students to participate, investigators should not specifically recruit students who work directly or