Overview
For Institutional Review Board (IRB) administrators, professional change isn’t an occasional disruption. It is a constant presence woven into regulatory expectations, shifting institutional priorities, personnel transitions, and evolving research landscapes. The pace and complexity of these changes can feel overwhelming, but with the right perspective and tools, IRB professionals can navigate them with clarity, resilience, and even opportunity.
In CITI Program’s webinar Surviving and Thriving with Professional Change, presenter Iris L. Jenkins, MS, PhD (Virginia Tech) explored practical strategies for adapting to both expected and unexpected changes across research environments. Below is a tailored reflection for IRB administrators, highlighting what change looks like, why it affects so many stakeholders, and how you can move from “getting through it” to genuinely thriving.
This webinar will be available soon as part of CITI Program’s All Access Webinar Package.
Recognizing the Many Forms of Change in IRB Work
Professional change can encompass shifts in roles and responsibilities, institutional processes, regulatory updates, technology transitions, and more.
For IRB teams specifically, these changes often come with advance notice, such as:
- Updates to the Revised Common Rule (45 CFR 46)
- New or revised guidance documents from regulatory agencies
- Planned organizational changes, such as a new submission system
Other times, change arrives suddenly, such as new executive orders, fluctuations in research funding, or unexpected departures among IRB or research integrity staff.
Many IRB administrators can relate to abrupt shifts, such as stepping into interim leadership roles or adapting workflows during fast-moving institutional transitions (such as early 2020 remote work shifts).
In short: IRB work doesn’t stand still, and neither do the conditions around it.
Understanding Change Beyond the Individual
One of the most critical insights from the webinar is that professional change never impacts just one person. In an IRB ecosystem, a single procedural or regulatory revision can cascade across:
- Human subjects researchers
- Compliance units
- Departmental staff
- The IRB committee itself
Even when changes, such as role reassignments or workload shifts, occur within the IRB office, the ripple effects extend well beyond the administrative team. Understanding who is affected, how they’re affected, and when they’ll feel the impact helps IRB administrators prioritize communication, training, and support.
As Dr. Jenkins emphasized, recognizing this “impact landscape” serves as a roadmap to valuable collaborators who understand the stakes, can contribute insights, or share strategies for effective adaptation.
Moving From Reaction to Resilience
IRB work often involves managing multiple changes at once, including technology migrations, policy updates, leadership turnover, and evolving compliance expectations. Dr. Jenkins encourages reframing these challenges with proactive strategies that IRB administrators can apply immediately.
Prioritize health and well-being – Professional change brings stress. Finding spaces to process, reflect, and reset, whether as an individual or as a team, helps build long‑term resilience.
Tackle change in manageable steps – You don’t need (and can’t) solve everything at once. Small, achievable goals compound into meaningful progress.
Celebrate incremental wins – Whether it’s smoothing out a new submission workflow or training researchers on revised policies, acknowledging progress helps sustain momentum.
Lean into your network – Colleagues both within your institution and in other organizations are powerful resources. Look for those who are navigating similar transitions or who have experience with the specific change you are facing.
Recognize opportunities within change – Transitions can bring increased visibility, skill development, or broader institutional influence. For IRB administrators, this may include shaping new workflows, strengthening compliance culture, or building cross-unit partnerships.
As Dr. Jenkins notes, “A great deal of how we thrive with professional change has to do with our perspective. Seeing change as something we can navigate with the appropriate considerations and resources might help us to more easily identify what is to be gained through the process”.
A Real‑World Example IRB Teams Will Recognize
Dr. Jenkins shared her own rapid series of professional changes during 2019–2020: shifting IRB systems, stepping into interim leadership, a sudden move to remote operations, and a surge in new responsibilities, all unfolding within months.
Her experience is a vivid reminder that IRB administrators often shoulder a heavy load when institutional or regulatory shifts occur. But it also demonstrates what is possible when you steady your approach, connect with your community, and take thoughtful steps forward.
During the webinar, Dr. Jenkins also shared her personal changes that coincided with many of these professional ones and emphasized the importance of balancing both based on a core concept of well-being.
Final Thoughts
IRB administrators are often the unsung navigators of institutional change, balancing compliance, ethics, timelines, researcher expectations, and operational realities. The insights from Surviving and Thriving with Professional Change offer not only validation but also practical strategies for managing complex transitions with professionalism and confidence.
By understanding the nature of change, anticipating its ripple effects, and embracing small, actionable steps, IRB teams can move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered.
If your IRB office is preparing for systems updates, policy shifts, staffing changes, or upcoming regulatory transitions, this webinar offers practical guidance and a supportive framework for leading your team through uncertainty.
