We encourage you to attend
our training workshops on submitting an application to the IRB.
We are also available to provide assistance via phone, Teams
or email.
Contact
Office of the Institutional Review Board
LA County Department of Public Health
313 N. Figueroa St., Room 127
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Email us at:
irb@ph.lacounty.gov
Health Equity and the IRB
As part of an effort to prioritize health equity in Los
Angeles County, the Department of Public Health
Institutional Review Board (IRB) implemented the
Health Equity Initiative (HEI). Through this initiative,
the IRB is working to ensure that
principles of health equity such as community engagement
and cultural and linguistic inclusion are incorporated
into the research, evaluation, and other data-gathering
activities that are conducted by the Department and
community partners. The HEI is described in more
detail below.
HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVE SUMMARY
CURRENT EFFORTS
HEI Phase 3 (Current)
Informed by data from Phases 1 and 2 (see "Reports”
section below for more detail), IRB staff developed a Health
Equity Standard of Practice (SOP) that will:
1) serve as a roadmap for DPH investigators to integrate
principles of health equity in their projects; and
2) ensure accountability in the ongoing process of
addressing health equity in research by integrating the
collection of health equity measures into the DPH IRB
review process. A Pre/Post evaluation questionnaire will
be administered to assess the policy's impact before and
after implementation.
We are currently collecting data that will help assess
the impact of the policy on the projects that our IRB
reviews.
HEI
Year 2 Survey
(Phase 2)
- Click on the image to view a summary of
results from our Year 2 HEI survey.
HEI
Year 1 Survey(Phase 2) - In
Phase 2 of the HEI, IRB staff administered a survey to
assess general attitudes, beliefs, and practices
regarding health equity in research and related
activities.
Click on the image to view a summary of results from our
Year 1 HEI survey.
HEI
Key Informant Interviews (Phase 1) - In
Phase 1, IRB staff completed
interviews with a group of key informants comprised of
researchers from governmental, academic, and
community-based entities located in and serving Los
Angeles County.
Click on the image to view the full report that
describes Phase 1 of the HEI.
The research field must do a better
job of engaging underserved communities
throughout all aspects of the health
research process, from the conception
and design of a study to the analysis
and dissemination of results.
Taking a community-based approach to
health research can improve the
engagement and investment of the
community leading to a more equitable
research process and data that is more representative of and
relevant to the target communities.
Organizations that engage in health
research should provide resources such
as operational support (i.e., use of
facilities or other infrastructure,
personnel, etc.), adequate training, and
funding to integrate a more equitable
and community-based approach to their
research activities.
Organizations that fund health
research should incorporate health
equity standards in their grant awards
so that grantees can be held accountable
for addressing issues of health equity
in their research. Funders should also
re-assess the size of their awards to
ensure that grantees have sufficient
funding for activities such as
evaluation, translation of study
documents, implementing more equitable
recruitment campaigns, providing more
equitable study incentives, etc.
POSTERS
PRIM&R
- Our HEI Phase 1 efforts were
recognized at the 2023 Public Responsibility in Medicine
and Research (PRIM&R) Annual Conference! Please click on
the image to
view the poster that was presented at the conference.
AAHRPP-
Our efforts to develop and implement a Health Equity
policy were recognized at the 2024 Association for the
Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs,
Inc. (AAHRPP) Annual Conference. Please click on the
image to view the poster that was presented at the
conference.
Resources
Visit the Center for Health Equity
website for more information
about the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's ongoing
efforts to address health equity.
To view a copy of
Health Equity Standard of Practice (SOP), please click here:
Health Equity Policy
