Member, Northern Health Research Ethics Committee

Volunteer Opportunity
Help us to ensure patient interests are considered in science! Northern Health is refreshing their research ethics review and approval process and wants to incorporate a patient perspective. Join us to ensure community interests are considered!

RSVP Now

Lead Organization/Department
Northern Health, Lead, Clinical and Research Ethics

Aim
The aim of this engagement is to involve patient perspectives in the ethics review of research proposals submitted to Northern Health. The outcome will be inclusion of community perspective in the research ethics review. The anticipated impact will be approval of research that ethically and safely involves the public in research, or rejection of research that does not meet ethical guidelines.

Level of Engagement
This opportunity is at the level of collaborate on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will work together with you to formulate solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible.

Eligibility
• Have internet access and own device
• Experience with Zoom is an asset
• Please note:
– The placement process for this opportunity may include an informal interview between the volunteer and the health care partner.
• If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Volunteer Agreement, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact Cathy Almost.

Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 2-3
• Date and Time: to be determined, one – two hour meeting per month plus approximately two hours of reading research proposals
• Location: Virtual using Zoom
• Commitment: seven months to a year

Reimbursement
No out of pocket expenses are anticipated for this engagement opportunity. However, if you meet the eligibility criteria, but have concerns about your ability to participate, please contact Cathy Almost at calmost@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.

Background
Before conducting research, research teams usually need to get research ethics approval. The approval is granted by Research Ethics Board and/or Committees. These groups work with the research team to ensure that the research plan maximizes benefits and minimizes risks for participants and for society at large. It also ensures that the research meets specific ethical standards and guidelines. This process may involve several rounds of changes to the research plan before approval can be granted. The Northern Health Research Ethics Committee is revamping its ethics review process and wants to integrate patient, family, and community perspectives into the process. The perspective of patients, families, and communities will strengthen the ethics review intended to ensure the ethical and safe conduct of health research in Northern BC.

Reimbursement

Cathy Almost
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Northern Region
250-615-9932
calmost@bcpsqc.ca