This TC IRB blog series, Researcher Highlights, includes a sequence of interviews with members of Teachers College’s researcher community and offers insights into how researchers engage in study activities, deal with the demands of the pandemic, and engage in ethical practices.
In this blog series, Chloe O’Neill, a TC IRB Research Compliance Assistant, met with researchers representing diverse content knowledge to explore the fibers of the research community at Teachers College. Each blog post in the series will highlight a researcher (or research lab/center). Each interviewee was interviewed for 45 minutes, asked similar questions, and encouraged to share insights into how they see themselves in a researcher role and as part of the TC research community.
K-12 Nutrition with Dr. Pamela Ann Koch
Dr. Pamela A. Koch is an Associate Professor of Nutrition Education at Teachers College and the Faculty Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy. She holds a Masters Degree in Applied Nutrition from Rutgers University, a Masters Degree in Community Nutrition from Teachers College (TC), and a Doctor of Education in Nutrition Education from Teachers College. In between her Master's Degree and her Doctor of Education, Pam worked for two years at the University of Central Missouri as a Wellness Coordinator. This was an adjunct teaching role for the campus that inspired her to pursue a doctoral degree. Pam joined TC in 1992 to complete her doctorate degree to explore children’s perception of food and their behavior towards food with supplemental programming and nutritional education. Pam is passionate about nutrition education and has worked with New York City schools for decades exploring ways to improve school meals and build student nutritional knowledge.
Path to Research Questions
“What I wanted to do was teach people about nutrition.”
Pam’s academic interests developed in college as a first-generation student and gravitated towards teaching and biology. While exploring the education world, Pam’s interests in nutrition grew with a focus on teaching. Pam’s dissertation at TC was connected to an associate's grant with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant aimed to investigate whether children who were able to cook a recipe that was on the school lunch menu were more likely to eat that food item in the cafeteria. Her dissertation aimed to better understand children’s decision-making regarding school meals and how to best improve students' nutritional knowledge. This exploration inspired her passion for scratch cooking, school nutrition, and the education of nutrition in K-12 settings, specifically in elementary and middle schools. Pam’s work began in the 1990s and is unique in that it still builds off of her doctoral dissertation. Her current work aims to (1) improve the food quality in school cafeterias, primarily focusing on adding vegetables, whole grains, and beans to the menu and (2) build the knowledge of why those items are important to eat for your personal health and for the world’s sustainability.
IRB Preparation and Submission
Pam noted three key practices for her IRB protocol preparation and submission: (1) having a good sense of your overall plan, (2) valuing concise language, and (3) drawing on the “circle of research.”
“... Really have a good sense of what it is I want to do in this research, before I start doing the IRB.”
(1) Know your Research Plan: When transitioning from her research question to IRB document preparations, Pam noted the importance of the research aim. Having a good sense of her research aim is important because it informs her research method and the data she plans to collect. When preparing for the IRB application, it is important to prioritize goals and methodology details to employ the recruitment, data collection, and analysis process. Pam emphasized that the IRB does not aid in determining what research you want to do, but helps inform the process of that research.
“The purpose of IRB approval is protection of human subjects.”
(2) Concise Language: Secondly, Pam cited concise and precise language as a critical piece to her IRB protocol submissions. She encouraged researchers to not over answer the questions, but rather answer the questions in the application directly. The IRB protocol submission can seem daunting, but it is less about the length of your materials, and more about the specific protections and research plan to ensure participants’ rights. Pam emphasized that sometimes writing too much can in fact detract from the protocol and can make it difficult to identify the practices and protections you are proposing to the IRB office. She elaborated that IRB reviewers evaluate the research design for the protection of human subjects and data rather than the robustness of scientific methodology.
“... Kind of like the circle of life, the circle of research.”
(3) Circle of Research: Lastly, Pam encouraged researchers to draw on the “circle of research.” Pam noted that learning from investigators who conduct similar research or from people who have gone through the IRB process can provide valuable insights. The ability to learn from people who already have experience in the IRB process or your research methods provides important information. In some circumstances, asking them to review your IRB protocol together before it is submitted will help reduce your time in the IRB. She encouraged researchers to find a mentor or connect with people to learn from along the way, all who inhabit this circle of research.
Advice for Future Researchers
“One study will not and can not do it all.”
Pam concluded with a few valuable pieces of advice for future researchers. First, be passionate about what you study. She noted that her passion for human subjects research can help find specific ways to make real differences in students' lives. The personal passion for your research interests is one of the best motivators for your research process. Second, no study can do it all. Pam identified the common desire to contribute groundbreaking research to ultimately leave a lasting impact for your areas of interest, however, she noted that “one study will not and can not do it all” is an important mindset to maintain. Lastly, Pam defined her “research hat” and her “human hat.” Notably, she defined both pieces of herself with regards to how she conducts her research. She mentioned times to “put her research hat aside” and times to “put her human hat on.” As a researcher working with human subjects, being able to value both your academic, research goals and prioritizing a participant-first mindset is essential. This practice is important in both the IRB preparation process and the implementation of your research. Ethical research design requires both researcher and human values and perspectives.
To learn more about preparing for the IRB process, please visit our webpage. Click this link, to learn more about writing for the IRB.
To follow the rest of the Researcher Highlights Series, please find our features on Dr. Tyler Watts, Dr. Lori Quinn, and Dr. Catherine DeLazzero on our blog page.