Communication key commitment for Research Ethics Board

The Research Ethics Board is working on enhancing communication with researchers, says Suzanne McMurphy, and the first step is a restructured web presence.

Dr. McMurphy, REB chair and an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, says the new site is organized into tabs that allow users to enter as faculty/staff/students, research participants, or community partners.

“We wanted to make it easier to find information on the website,” she says. “Each tab will bring them directly to the resources most relevant for them.”

Links to the current Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and its tutorial Course on Research Ethics are also on the main page for easy access.

A new tab on the website represents a second effort to streamline the review process for researchers through a new partnership with Windsor Regional Hospital’s REB. For faculty and students conducting research at Windsor Regional Hospital, the UWindsor REB now accepts applications on the Windsor Regional Hospital’s forms.

“Requests will still need to go through both boards, but we’re trying to eliminate the duplication of two separate sets of paperwork and also assist our researchers in preparing for review by Windsor Regional Hospital’s REB,” says McMurphy.

Information under the Windsor Regional Hospital tab provides researchers with the WRH forms and process for review.

The University’s REB also provides oversight for research conducted at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, and the Windsor Cardiac Centre. Information for these community partnerships are organized under separate tabs on the website.

“I would like to encourage researchers to let us know how our changes are working for them.” says Dr. McMurphy. “The focus on improving communication is critical because building good relationships helps us all work together in the ethical conduct of research.”

See the new website at uwindsor.ca/REB.

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