Ethics Review for a Multi-Site Project Involving Tribal Nations in the Northern Plains

Increasingly, Tribal Nations are forming ethics review panels, which function separately from institutional review boards (IRBs). The emergence of strong community representation coincides with a widespread effort supported by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and other federal agencies to establish a single IRB for all multi-site research. This article underscores the value of a tribal ethics review board and describes the tribal oversight for the Safe Passage Study—a multi-site, community-based project in the Northern Plains. Our experience demonstrates the benefits of tribal ethics review and makes a strong argument for including tribal oversight in future regulatory guidance for multi-site, community-based research.