The UT Southwestern Institutional Review Board (IRB) serves UT Southwestern investigators.  It also serves researchers at the University’s affiliated partners, such as Parkland Hospital, Children’s Medical Center, and the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. The following policy defines who is eligible to serve as Principal Investigator (PI) on a UT Southwestern IRB protocol. The type of relationship an individual has with UT Southwestern determines whether they may serve independently as a PI on their own protocol or if a Faculty Sponsor is required.

1. UT Southwestern Faculty may serve as PI on UT Southwestern IRB protocols without a Faculty Sponsor.
   
2. Other individuals employed by or affiliated with UT Southwestern (e.g., staff, students, residents, fellows, volunteer faculty members and licensed health professionals who practice at one of the University’s owned or affiliated hospitals) may serve as PI on research protocols if they have a Faculty Sponsor whose appointment meets #1 above.
   
3. Faculty members from other UT campuses (e.g., UTA, UTD) may serve as PI on a UT Southwestern IRB protocol with a Faculty Sponsor whose appointment meets #1 above. If the protocol involves a medical intervention, the Faculty Sponsor must be a physician.
   

The responsibilities of the PI are:

1. To conduct the scientific and scholarly work in a manner that adheres to all applicable federal, state, local and university requirements;
   
2. To acknowledge and accept responsibility for protecting the rights and welfare of human research subjects;
   
3. To assure that the use of protected health information (PHI) is the minimum necessary to meet the research objectives and that PHI is not reused or disclosed to any parties other than those that may be described in an approved protocol and HIPAA authorization or waiver, except as required by law; and
   
4. To comply with all requirements and requests of the UT Southwestern IRB.