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Conflicts of Interest Involving REB Members
Each REB member should be aware that financial, personal or professional
interests could bias his or her decisions. REB members should also be
aware that public perception of such influences (whether there is a conflict
or merely the appearance of one) could harm trust in the independence
and integrity of REB review. REB members must disclose to the REB actual,
potential or perceived conflicts of interests related to the research
under review.
REB members are in conflict of interest when their own research projects
are under review by the REB, or when any project with which they have
an association is under review. The TCPS requires that REB members withdraw
from the committee discussion when such projects are under consideration.
In other instances, an REB member may have financial, business, or close
personal links with a research protocol under review, or they may have
had a strong conflict or disagreement with the researchers in the past.
In such cases, the TCPS requires the REB (in the absence of the individual
REB member with the potential conflict of interest) to undertake an assessment
of the potential implications of the REB member's apparent or real conflict
of interest. To do this, the REB might ask questions such as the following:
- Would an outside observer question the ability of the REB member to
make a reasonable and proper decision despite his or her private or
personal interests?
- Would the public believe that the trust relationship between the research
subject, researcher and the REB member could be reasonably maintained
if the research subject and the researcher had accurate information
on the potential sources of conflict of interest?
Should the REB determine that there is a significant real or apparent
conflict of interest, the conflicted REB member should withdraw from the
committee when such projects are under consideration.
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