Research Review Committee

Benefits of research –

Research studies can:

• Gather important information about behaviors, risk factors, and disease trends.
• Demonstrate the outcomes and value of public health interventions.
• Drive innovation and continuous quality improvement in public health practices.  
• Support the development and implementation of evidence-based services and programs.
• Lead to improved health for our community.

Research Defined -  Under both the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule and the Common Rule, “research” is defined as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.” 

Research Investigators- Research at Public Health may be conducted by Public Health employees, researchers from other organizations, or in collaboration between Public Health employees and research investigators from other organizations. 

The Public Health Research Committee is comprised of health department leadership and employees with research experience as well as faculty from local academic institutions. 

The Research Committee uses a standardized process to evaluate all research requests to determine if the request will be granted.  The Research Committee serves to:

• Evaluate research requests for:
  • Alignment with Public Health’s mission and vision.
  • Compliance with patient confidentiality and conformity to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.
  • Assurance of protection of research participants according to the Code of Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46).
• Ensure ongoing communication with the principal investigator for each research project regarding the status of study approval and research progress.
• Track and report research activities to senior Public Health leadership, including the Health Commissioner and the Executive Team.

Note: Public Health’s Research Review Committee does not take the place of a University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Research involving human subjects requires the review of your IRB. Please contact them directly for further information.

Procedures for Research at Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County:

1. Complete and submit all required documentation
   • Completion of the Research Request form. This form is a fillable PDF available on the Public Health website. 
   • A CV or Resume for each Principal Investigator(PI) and Research Associate involved with the proposed research. (If researchers are not employees of Public Health)
   • A signed Research Data Use Confidentiality Agreement
   • IRB materials- if applicable, a copy of the full research proposal as submitted to the IRB, along with a dated IRB approval, exemption, or denial.
   • Copies of survey instruments, focus group and interview questions, and marketing material for proposed research.
   • Copies of documents for obtaining informed consent.
   • Completed and signed documentation should be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
2. The Research Committee will meet within 30 days of receiving a research request to review the proposal and will make a recommendation to the Health Commissioner.
3. Communication will be provided to the PI, if additional information is requested and when the proposal has been approved or denied. The requestor will receive a decision from the Research Committee within 2 weeks of the Research Committee Meeting. 
4. A liaison from the Research Committee will be assigned to communicate with the PI and report research progress to the Research Committee.
5. When the research project has been completed or discontinued, the PI is requested to complete a Final Study Close-Out Report Form. This completed form can be found as a fillable PDF on the Public Health website and should be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
6. Upon receipt of the Final Study Close-Out Report Form, the PI may be contacted to schedule a presentation of findings to interested staff at PHDMC.