UPOU IREC Conducts its First Orientation on Ethics Review Policies and Procedures

The UP Open University Institutional Research Ethics Committee (UPOU IREC) conducted its first-ever orientation on policies and procedures for ethics review. Two sessions were held via Zoom. The first session was on 13 August 2021, 9:00-11:00 AM, intended for UPOU students, and the second session was on 16 August 2021, 1:00-3:00 PM, intended for UPOU faculty, Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS), administrative staff, and contract of service (COS) staff.

The orientation’s resource speaker was Assistant Professor Ria Valerie D. Cabanes, Chair of the UPOU IREC. Assistant Professor Rita C. Ramos of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS), UPOU IREC Independent Consultant and University Registrar, served as the moderator. Dr. Myra D. Oruga, Ms. Marian P. Tatlonghari, and other IREC members and independent consultants were also present.

Day 1: Ethics Review Orientation for Students

The first-day program started with an overview of IREC’s history and mandate. Asst. Prof. Cabanes discussed how IREC was established in 2016, following the decree of RA 10532 Philippine National Health Research System Act of 2013. UPOU IREC received Level 1 accreditation on 21 October 2020, which allowed the review on all types of research studies with minimal risks, excluding clinical trials. Asst. Prof. Cabanes also discussed the organizational chart of IREC, introduced  the members of the committee, and explained the role of the Committee as part of the UPOU Research System. She also  enumerated the various functions of IREC, elaborated on what constitutes minimal risk in research studies, and explained the specific services that IREC offers, including the scope of the review, the recommended date of submission, and the required forms to be accomplished by the research investigators.

During the second part of the program, Asst. Prof. Cabanes tackled the issues concerning review exceptions. She gave a comparison-contrast explanation between expedited and full review, elaborated on what and what does not constitute as a  consent, and discussed the different results or decisions following the initial review. 

After showing the important dates to remember and quick navigation on IREC’s website, Asst. Prof. Cabanes, Asst. Prof. Ramos, and Dr. Oruga wrapped up the orientation proper with an open forum. A total of 56 participants joined the first day of orientation.

Asst. Prof. Ramos (uppermost left) and Asst. Professor Cabanes (uppermost center) together with the attendees of the first day of IREC Orientation.

Day 2: Ethics Review Orientation for Faculty and Staff

With 39 participants, the orientation for UPOU Faculty and staff members followed the 3-part flow of the first day, i.e., an overview of IREC history and mandate, a discussion of the policies and procedures of the review process. 

During the open forum, the first question was how much the ethical review fee costs, specifically for faculty or REPS. Dr. Oruga answered that, in the meantime, the review fee is based on the fees of two technical reviewers, for a total of ₱3000. Another question came from Associate Professor Dr. Diego Silang S. Maranan. He asked if IREC is indeed “capable of doing ethics review to undergraduate research projects.” In her answer, Dr. Oruga said that faculty members are clustered to determine who can do the ethics review according to their respective disciplines and consequently called for the attendance of UPOU faculty in basic ethics review training. 

Asst. Prof. Ramos (uppermost center) beside Asst. Professor Cabanes and Dr. Raymundo, together with the attendees of the second day of IREC Orientation.

Dr. Maria Rowena D.R. Raymundo, the Officer-In-Charge of the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, thanked the participants and congratulated the whole IREC team in her closing message. She expressed how impressed she was with how much the Committee has accomplished in terms of the “progression of the research initiative.” She also encouraged all the attendees, who might have had information overload, to visit the well-maintained, “easy go-to and user-friendly” IREC website for downloadable forms and detailed procedures. Finally, Dr. Raymundo commended IREC’s initiatives as they are aligned with UP’s mandate as a research university; thus, “we should promote research and development” and “ethics in research” to ensure that ethical practices are adhered to in both faculty and student-led researches.

Written by Wilzen Bermoy

Edited by Joane V. Serrano and Anna Cañas-Llamas