Health Sciences North Research Ethics Board (REB)

The purpose of the Health Sciences North Research Ethics Board (HSN REB) is to protect the rights and welfare of human participants in research. The Board reviews all research proposals for projects conducted at Health Sciences North (HSN), the Health Sciences North Research Institute (HSNRI) and the St. Joseph’s Health Centre (SJHC) institutions.

As specified in the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS2), in the context of both initial and continuing research ethics review, the HSN REB assesses the ethical acceptability of a research project through consideration of the foreseeable risks, the potential benefits and the ethical implications of the project.

What's New

NEW as of March 2024 - HSN REB is excited to announce the launch of Cayuse Human Ethics (HE), our new online research ethics admin platform. This platform will allow a streamlined, easy-to-access way for researchers to create and check the status of their submissions. All submissions and reviews going forward must be done through Cayuse HE. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions.

Guiding principles

The HSN REB is guided by the core principles cited in the TCPS2 Article 1.1.

Respect for Persons
Concern for Welfare
Justice

Application process

The HSN REB meets the first Monday of the month, or if the first Monday falls on a holiday, then the following Monday, or as called by the Chair.
Note: The HSN REB does not meet in August.

Submissions

Submissions must be created through Cayuse HE. Please see the Cayuse Guide for Researchers for instructions.

The Board will receive and review submissions through Cayuse HE. You will be notified of the Board's decision and can view the corresponding letter through the system.

For full board review

This level of review is required for all research that the REB regards as posing more than minimal risk. Submissions are to be submitted no later than 4pm on the 15th of the month for consideration at the REB meeting held the following month. In the case that the 15th falls on a holiday or weekend, then next business day will be considered the deadline date.

For expedited/delegated review

Submissions filed with the REB normally receive expedited review by a member of the REB if the research poses only minimal risk (e.g., questionnaires, chart review, surveys, etc.). These applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no deadline for submission. Turnaround time is generally 2 weeks, but will depend on the complexity of the study or if there are major omissions.

Types of submissions that go through Cayuse

Initial submissions
Modifications (previously called amendment requests)
Note: updates to produc monographs and investigator brochures will be considered a modification
Renewals
Reportable events (previously called unanticipated problems)
Withdrawals
Closures (previously called final reports)
Exemption requests

For any other submissions, please contact the Research Ethics Office for guidance.

Where to submit

Please complete all submissions through the Cayuse platform. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Research Ethics Office at reb@hsnsudbury.ca.