IBC Committee

Institutional Biosafety Committee

An Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is comprised of university faculty and staff appointed by the Provost and at least two outside community members shall fulfill the responsibilities described in this policy and in the Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules, Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, and the university's Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan.

Functions and Responsibilities of the IBC

A. On behalf of William & Mary, the IBC shall review all proposals to assure compliance with this policy and the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules, the CDC Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, and the College's Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan.

B. On behalf of William & Mary, the IBC shall conduct periodic self-studies of the effectiveness of university policy on biosafety and the implementation procedures, reporting the results to the provost and recommending any needed revisions. This will involve responsibility for:

Reviewing the registration submission for the appropriateness of biosafety procedures and assignment to the proper biosafety containment levels of experiments;
Reporting within 30 days to the university Environment, Health, & Safety Office and the Vice Provost identified problems with or violations of the guidelines and research-related accidents or illnesses; the IBC along with the Vice Provost, under the direction of the Provost, has responsibility for communication with external sponsoring and monitoring agencies;
Participating with the university Environment, Health, & Safety Office in the development of emergency plans to deal with accidental spills and personnel contamination resulting from research;
Insuring through periodic inspections that laboratory standards are rigorously followed.

Committee Meetings and Membership

The IBC meets at least annually at the beginning of each academic year. Subsequent meetings may be scheduled depending on "the volume of protocols needing review, the nature and risks of the research, and the need for continuing oversight" (NIH FAQs on IBC Meetings). A quorum for conducting business shall consist of 2/3 of the current members except that at least one member not affiliated with William & Mary (apart from serving the IBC) must be present.

Meetings will be open to the public consistent with protection of privacy and proprietary interests. Additionally, per Section IV-B-2-a-(7) of the NIH Guidelines, "upon request, the institution shall make available to the public all Institutional Biosafety Committee meeting minutes and any documents submitted to or received from funding agencies which the latter are required to make available to the public." Requests for the meeting minutes can be sent to the Research Compliance Office at WM. Information from the meeting minutes may be redacted for the protection of private or proprietary information.

The IBC members shall be selected so that they collectively have experience and expertise in recombinant DNA technology and biological organisms and the capability to assess the safety of such activities and any potential risk to public health or the environment.

At least two members shall not be affiliated with William & Mary (apart from membership on the IBC) and shall represent the interest of the community area with respect to the health and protection of the environment.
When possible, there shall be at least one member from each department/unit conducting recombinant DNA research.
The Vice Provost shall also be a member.

List of all IBC members and contact information.
Name	Department/Role	Email
Josh Puzey	Chair	jrpuzey@wm.edu
Dennis M. Manos	Vice Provost for Research Ex officio	dmanos@wm.edu
Teresa Belback	Director of EH&S	tbelback@wm.edu
Ryan Carnegie	VIMS Professor, Ecosystem Health	carnegie@vims.edu
Eric Fidler	VIMS Safety & Security Manager	emfidler@vims.edu
Mark H. Forsyth	Professor, Biology	mhfors@wm.edu
Stacy Krueger-Hadfield	Associate Professor; Assistant Director, Eastern Shore Laboratory Natural Resources	sakh@vims.edu
Kimberly S. Reece	VIMS Professor, Ecosystem Health	kreece@vims.edu
Margaret S. Saha	Chancellor Professor, Animal Expert	mssaha@wm.edu
Kurt Williamson	Assoc. Professor, Biology	kewilliamson@wm.edu
Dan Scungio	External member
Michael J. Levine	External member
W&M Research Compliance	Non-voting member	researchcompliance@wm.edu