Creating Capacity Through A Tribally-Based IRB

Tribal groups across America must work tirelessly to maintain tribal sovereignty rights and must continually devote strong efforts towards preserving and upholding tribal authority and protection over their land, their people, their business enterprises, their health and their health care. Moreover, the conduct of health science research by outsiders has had its share of an unethical, misguided, and at times, abusive past with several incidents occurring even recently. Tribally-based Institutional Review Boards (IRB) are addressing these issues in an effort to control new health science research, influence the research agenda, and protect their people in the same spirit as has been accomplished through the perpetuation of sovereignty rights. Using the framework of the four ethical goals of community consultation proposed by Dickert and Sugarman (2005), enhanced protection, enhanced benefits, legitimacy, and shared responsibility, we describe the success of a tribally based IRB. The authority of this tribal IRB, its creation and assurance are all provided by a tribally owned and operated health clinic. We present the IRB's focus, unique protocol, membership, influence, and its ability to create new capacity for the health and wellness of nine tribes. Positive benefits include enhanced levels of trust and beneficial atmosphere in the tribal community that supports recruitment and participation of tribal members as research subjects. Capacity building includes bi-directional cultural education between academic science researchers and tribal IRB committee members thus encouraging new research, as well as broadening the capacity for the health clinic to use research tools left behind by research projects.