I’ve had to— as they say in scoring large scale writing assessments— “recalibrate.” I’ve recalibrated my attitude toward IRBs and their need when it comes to evaluating interventions designed to better communities. I attended a session today at Light Hall on “IRB issues in community-engaged research” and sponsored by the Vanderbilt IRB. I had no idea that steps that have been taken to accommodate evaluation research in community settings and with community groups, not only by the Vandy IRB but nationwide. The session, part of the on-going education effort of the IRB folks at Vandy, was conducted by Drs Doug Perkins and David Schlundt. They explained that the IRB can adjust to the emerging nature of problem definitions and solution development by involving community groups and leaders. And how implementation and what’s involved are usually unknowns at the start as expected with complex adaptive systems. It’s an iterative process and can be recognized as such by IRBs.