Being on top of the EC ladder, a chairperson, besides their usual duties of addressing grievances, resolving conflicts and ensuring that all members have an equal opportunity to contribute, could do quite a bit to safeguard an MS.

An EC gets many kinds of urgent and critical requests—an expedited review, backdating a document, and waiving a review, including a new submission in an already planned meeting, amongst others. Like any other communication to the IRB, these requests are typically routed through the MS. Such requests can come directly from senior principal investigators. The PI may contact the MS in person or by phone to convey these requests.

While reviewing these requests and taking a decision may involve all IRB members, the outcome of such critical requests, for example, denying an expedited review, no matter how keen the PI, can be communicated by the chairperson either directly by himself or by the MS on his behalf. As a chairperson is external to the institute, it is more difficult for the PI to exercise undue pressure in such instances. ECs can also have an SOP stating that such requests are addressed directly to the chairperson, keeping the official email ID of the EC and MS in copy.