Organisers

The NHG Health Office of Human Research Protection Programme (OHRPP), under the Group Research & Innovation (GRI) is dedicated to safeguarding the rights, safety, and well-being of research participants, and maintaining high standards in research ethics and governance in NHG Health.  

The OHRPP carries out its mission through an integrated Human Research Protection Programme, comprising high quality ethics review by the DSRB, enforcing contemporary quality programs and providing timely education and training for researchers.  

The Human Research Protection Programme (HRPP) is fully accredited by the United States Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc (AAHRPP) since March 2007.  

The NUS Centre for Biomedical Ethics (CBmE) was established in September 2006 in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine through a generous gift by the Chen Su Lan Trust. We work to develop understanding, capacity for good judgement, and sound ethical practice in the context of healthcare provision, biomedical science and health-related policy development. 

CBmE is a thriving centre for learning, teaching and research relating to ethical and legal aspects of healthcare and biomedical sciences. We study issues of broad international significance with a particular interest in learning for and from Singapore and Asia.  

The SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board (CIRB), an independent body constituted of medical, scientific, and non-scientific members, was established on 01 April 2009.   

It is guided by ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report and legal mandates outlined in the International Conference for Harmonisation Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice (ICH GCP), Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA) and its regulations.   

Its responsibility is to ensure the protection of the rights, safety and well-being of human subjects in research by approving and providing constant reviewing of research studies and amendments, and of the methods and materials used to obtain and document informed consent.   

SingHealth CIRB is appointed by the Principal-In-Charge (PIC) of SingHealth. The CIRB provides an independent and timely review of research studies involving SingHealth patients, staff, facilities and/or being conducted in premises of institutions under the oversight of CIRB. Ethics review will also be provided to research institutions who have appointed the CIRB as the reviewing IRB.