Bioethics Research
Resources
- Australian Bioethics Portal
- National Health and Medical Research Council: Health & human research ethics
- National Health and Medical Research Council: Animal research ethics
- National Institutes of Health: Office of Human Subjects Research
- The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research
- Directives for Human Experimentation: Nuremberg Code
- World Medical Association Declaration Of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects
- Program on Ethical Issues in International Health Research at the Harvard School of Public Health
Research Ethics Committees
Material on Research Ethics Committees supplied by: Susanna
Davis,
Research Ethics Officer,
University of Technology,
Sydney
University Human Research Ethics Committees
(HRECs)
operate under the Australian Health Ethics Committee guidelines and
system of accreditation but deal with more than just health-related
research. This has created problems for university HRECs, which have
had to work hard to "sell" the benefits of ethics approval to the
university community, and at the same time try to adapt the ethics
guidelines to be as relevant and flexible as possible.
NSW University Ethics Committee Network
As a way of combating this problem, NSW university ethics committees
came together in 1994 to establish a network. The model was based upon
an existing network of Research Administrators who meet regularly to
discuss issues of common interest and concern.
The NSW Universities HREC Network provides an opportunity for HREC Chairs and Executive Officers to meet and discuss areas of mutual interest. While these areas cover more than just health related issues (for example, research in schools), health issues are also extremely important. The meetings also allow discussion of policy issues, particularly where they effect universities. Students are of obvious importance for universities, but do not impact on non-university ethics committees to the same degree.
Co-ordination of the network originated with Professor Ashley Craig and Susanna Davis at the University of Technology, Sydney, then passed on to Newcastle and Wollongong universities. The Network co-ordinator for the last two years has been Ms Kay Buckley, of the University of Western Sydney (Nepean).
October1999 Network Meeting
Kay organised the most recent meeting of the network on Friday 29th
October1999 at the Parramatta Campus of the University of Western
Sydney (UWS). Representatives from most of NSW's 13 universities
attended. Also present were Tricia Frake, of the AHEC Secretariat and
Francine Kelly ,Ethics Committee Liaison Officer with the NSW Health
Department.
Additional presenters for different sessions were Dr Paul Brock,
Director Strategic Research in the NSW Department of Education and
Training, MrChris Puplick, NSW Privacy Commissioner, and Associate
Professor ColinThompson. Professor Thompson was present in a dual
capacity as Chair of the University of Wollongong HREC and a member of
AHEC, and led discussion on the new National Statement on Ethical
Conduct in Research Involving Humans and the review of the NHMRC
document Aspects of Privacy in Medical Research. Dr Brock discussed
proposed changes to the Department's Training Research Applications
Process, while Mr Puplick addressed implications of the NSW Privacy and
Personal Information Protection Act and the Commonwealth Privacy Act
for research.
Other areas discussed included problems with data storage, issues with students and supervisors, the relationship of risk and sensitivity in considering the ethics of research, the NSW Crimes Act, privacy, the Archives Act, the State Records Act, relationships between different ethics committees, and the network's relationship with the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee.
Those attending had varying degrees of experience in the ethics area, ranging from 4 weeks to 14 years.
NSW Department of Health – Ethics
Committee Liaison Officer
NSW has been particularly fortunate with the decision by the NSW
Department of Health to appoint an Ethics Committee Liaison Officer. Ms
Francine Kelly was appointed to the position in early 1997, with a
brief to support the HRECs in the NSW public health system. She has
done much more than this, and has always made herself available to the
NSW University HREC network.
NSW. Of these, 28 are in the public health system, 15 in the university system, and the remainder private or non-government organisations. Francine has met with a large number of ethics committees, and has encouraged them to develop mechanisms to improve their operation, such as sharing resources, policies, information etc. She has also established an electronic "listserv". This has grown to be Australia wide, with approximately 160 members. The subscribers are principally HREC members and administrators. The listerv allows subscribers to share information, ask for assistance or advice, and draw on the experience of others.
Enquiries for the NSW Health Department ethics Listserv should
be directed to:
Ms Francine Kelly
Ethics Committee Liaison Officer
NSW Department of Health
email:fkell@doh.health.nsw.gov.au
Next Co-Ordinator
Ms Rachael Krinks, the new Research Ethics Officer at Macquarie
University, has volunteered to co-ordinate the next two meetings of the
Network in 2000 and 2001.
Enquiries about the Network
Ms Kay Buckley, as the most recent co-ordinator of the Network, is
happy to answer any questions in relation to the Network.
She may be contacted by email k.buckley@unsw.edu.au or by telephone on (02) 4736 0169.