The Human Studies Review Board (HSRB) is a Federal advisory committee operating under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) that provides advice, information, and recommendations on issues related to scientific and ethical aspects of human subjects research. The HSRB reports to the EPA Administrator through EPA's Science Advisor.
About the HSRB
The Human Studies Review Board (HSRB or Board) is a Federal advisory committee operating in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) 5 U.S.C. App.2 § 9.
The HSRB provides advice, information, and recommendations on issues related to scientific and ethical aspects of human subjects research. The major objectives are to provide advice and recommendations on: a. research proposals and protocols; b. reports of completed research with human subjects; and c. how to strengthen EPA's programs for protection of human subjects of research. The HSRB reports to the EPA Administrator through EPA's Science Advisor.
On February 6, 2006 the Agency published a final rule for protections for subjects in human research (71 FR 6138) that called for creating a new, independent Human Studies Review Board and described its responsibilities in the following language:
The Human Studies Review Board shall comment on the scientific and ethical aspects of research proposals and reports of completed research with human subjects submitted by EPA for its review and on request, advise EPA on ways to strengthen its programs for protection of human subjects of research. 40 C.F.R. 26.1603(b)
A charter (PDF) (3 pp, 32K) for the Human Studies Review Board dated February 21, 2006 was issued in accordance with the provisions of FACA, 5 U.S.C. App.2 § 9. The Board’s charter was reauthorized March 31, 2010.
This site contains materials which were made available to or produced by the HSRB. The meeting minutes and reports posted on this site are the products of the HSRB and represent the views and recommendations of the HSRB, not the EPA. They do not represent information approved or disseminated by the EPA and, hence, do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the EPA, nor of other agencies in the Executive Branch of the Federal government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute a recommendation for use.
For further information about the HSRB, please call Jim Downing at (202) 564-2468 or email at downing.jim@epa.gov.
Dr. Leonard Ritter is Executive Director of the Canadian Network of Toxicology Centers and Professor of Toxicology in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. In addition, Dr Ritter also served as Coordinator of the Metals in the Human Environment Strategic Network. Dr Ritter has extensive experience in the regulatory toxicology of a broad range of environmental chemicals, domestic, agricultural and industrial use pesticides and the safety of food residues. He serves as an expert advisor to the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the World Health Organization and has participated in various boards and expert panels, including those organized by the Royal Society of Canada, Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Health Canada, the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the US EPA and the World Trade Organization. Dr. Ritter serves , or has served, as Chair of the Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on the Integrated Toxicity Testing of Pesticides, a member of Health Canada’s Health and Environment Experts Group of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a member of the HESI Steering Team and Session leader for the Workshop on Proof of Causality in Epidemiologic Studies, a member of the Organizing Committee of the Joint ICCA-LRI and Health Canada Workshop on Advancing Exposure Science to Improve Chemical Safety. Recently, Dr Ritter has also been appointed to Chair the Ontario Independent Fact Finding Panel on 2,4,5,-T.
Dr. Ritter holds a B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Sc. in biology and biochemistry from Sir George Williams University in Montreal, Canada and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Dr Ritter is a Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences and, in 2006, was awarded a medal by the UN World Health Organization in recognition of his contributions. Between 1977 and 1993, Dr Ritter served as Chief of the Pesticides Division, Chief of the Product Safety Division and as Director of the Bureau of Veterinary Drugs at Health Canada prior to taking up his current responsibilities at the University of Guelph. He has been involved in research and regulatory toxicology for almost 35 years.
Human Studies Review Board | Science Advisor | US EPA.
http://www.epa.gov/osa/hsrb/members.htm
