Any information provided, including that about your health, behavior, and cognitive functioning, will be analyzed for research purposes. The results from these analyses may be published in various scientific journals and presented at research conferences. However, any presentation of these analyses will never disclose any personal identifiable information; your privacy will be protected.

Your personal information will not be shared with other researchers without your consent. All information is kept safe and secure by BHR and HITSS researchers in order to ensure confidentiality.

Any personal information you share with BHR and HITSS is only used for the purposes stated in our consent form. De-identified information may be shared with collaborators but it cannot be traced back to you.

An IRB is a committee that performs ethical review of research involving “human participants.” The purpose of IRB review is to assure, both in advance and by periodic review, that appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of humans participating as subjects in the research. To accomplish this purpose, IRBs use a group process to review research protocols and related materials (e.g., informed consent documents and investigator brochures) to ensure protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects of research.

For your privacy and protection, you are required to electronically sign a consent form before you can participate. The consent form outlines your role and rights as a research participant, as well as the purpose of the study and the risks and benefits associated with study participation.

You may choose to decline participation after reviewing the informed consent form. You may also withdraw your participation, at any time, after agreeing to the consent form as this is a voluntary research study.

The description of IRB is modified from the following websites:

https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/irbs-and-assurances.html

https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/center-drug-evaluation-and-research-cder/institutional-review-boards-irbs-and-protection-human-subjects-clinical-trials