CPS/CARAS IRB

The Center for Positive Sexuality is pleased to collaborate with the Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities (CARAS) in support of rigorous research in positive sexuality.

Through this collaboration, CPS will act as the sponsor for research affiliates who wish to request Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval of research protocols on human subjects. CARAS IRB members have expertise in kink/BDSM/leather communities, polyamory, consensual non-monogamies, asexuality, and sex work; and in fields such as anthropology, art history, gender studies, law, medicine, psychology, public health, regulatory affairs, religious studies, sexology, social work, and sociology.  The CARAS IRB is exceptionally well-suited to provide IRB review of research projects in the field of positive sexuality.

Affiliates who opt to pursue an IRB through CPS/CARAS can expect support in several ways. Researchers will receive pre-submission review of protocols, advice on questions about research design, protocol execution, and regulatory issues, recommendation on whether protocols would benefit from the Research Advisory Committee review, and full review of protocols by the CARAS IRB.

IRB-approved research protocols raise the standard of human research, and we are proud to support our affiliates in this mission.

For more information, please contact Director of Research Amanda Freise at amanda@positivesexuality.org.