What the Ethics Committee is all about

Groups related to this event

Centre for Health Informatics
Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research
Centre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science

Event date

Tuesday, 9 June 2015

Few researchers find preparing an ethics application a fun part of their job. There is no doubting the time and effort involved in preparing one, and in the seemingly inevitable and often frustrating second round of responses to a long list of queries raised by the Committee's review of the protocol. And, of course following approval, there is a continuing onus for submitting regular reports. Little wonder, then, that most surveys find researchers do not regard the ethics process as just an obligation, but rather more of an outright obstacle.

On the other hand, the members of Ethics Committees almost universally see themselves as facilitators of research, and as working to help researchers "get it right".

This presentation will address this apparent disconnect by sharing some insights into the composition, role, duties and legislative brief of Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) in general, and of the Macquarie University Medical Sciences HREC in particular. The latter now has the responsibility of providing ethics oversight for research conducted at AIHI.

Speaker profile

Tony Eyers is Professor of Ethics in Surgery and Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, where he is involved in teaching Ethics and Professionalism. He is a colorectal surgeon and worked at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for thirty years before shifting his clinical practice solely to Macquarie University Hospital. As well as his academic and clinical work, Tony is a member of the NSW Medical Council, and will, from July, chair the Council's Health Program. Over the years Tony has sat on (and chaired) various ethics committees, both Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) and clinical ethics committees, and is the current chairperson of the Macquarie University Medical Science HREC.

Date: Tuesday 9 June, 2015

Time: 12noon – 1pm

Venue: Seminar Room Level 1, 75 Talavera Rd