TBRHSC Research Ethics Team (RET)

The Research Ethics Team (RET) oversees all research involving human subjects conducted at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre to ensure that research meets the highest scientific and ethical standards in accordance with the spirit of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Guidelines on Research Involving Human Subjects and other commonly accepted standards in order to protect patients, investigators, and the institution.

The Research Ethics Team (RET) functions to:

Approve, reject, propose modifications, or terminate any proposed or ongoing research
Review and make recommendations for approval of all proposed human subject research involving TBRHSC patients, staff, physicians, students, residents, and hospital information
Safeguard the rights, safety, and well-being of participants in clinical research
Educate, support, and mentor researchers regarding the process of ethical review

Principles of Ethical Review:

In the context of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Guidelines on Research Involving Human Subjects, the RET subscribes to the following ethical principles that are commonly held and valued by diverse research disciplines:

Respect for human dignity
Respect for free and informed consent
Respect for vulnerable persons
Respect for privacy and confidentiality
Respect for justice and inclusiveness
Balancing harms and benefits

Online access to resources and guidelines is available to assist the researcher with the development and submission of research protocols. Direct links have been provided for RET Forms completed by the researcher (Word Format) which are to be completed electronically, printed, and submitted with accompanying documents to the Research Ethics Team. For reference purposes only, RET Forms completed by the RET (PDF Format) are also provided. A complete listing of RET meeting dates and submission deadlines is also available for the upcoming year.

For further information, please contact:

Research Ethics Team
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
980 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 6V4
Phone: 684-6420
Fax: 684-5904

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What's New?

December 2007

Effective immediately, please use the following revised RET forms for all submissions:

Form A – Research Submission
Form B – Organizational Impact
Form C – Conflict of Interest
Form I – Submission Checklist

The forms are to be completed electronically, printed, and signed prior to submission to the RET.

Effective February 2008, for studies involving pharmaceuticals, the study drug must be approved by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee prior to review of the study by the Research Ethics Team. Indicate P&T approval date on the organizational impact form (Form B).