CAMBIN Webinar Series 1: The process of obtaining ethics approval for your research in Cameroon

CAMBIN Webinar Series 1: The process of obtaining ethics approval for your research in Cameroon

CAMBIN Webinar Series 1: The process of obtaining ethics approval for your research in Cameroon

 

The first edition of the CAMBIN webinar series took place on Tuesday, 23rd February 2024 via Zoom under the theme “The process of obtaining ethics approval for your research in Cameroon.” This webinar was moderated by Dr. Cynthia Nchangwi, member of the CAMBIN Ethics Review Committee who welcomed attendees and introduced the speakers.

 

The first speaker of the day was Mr Ngu Paul who is the Focal Point for the Research Ethics Committees at DROS. Mr Ngu focused his presentation on the representation of research ethics committees in Cameroon, the Obligation to enter an EC and AR, and the challenges and proposed solutions to research ethics in Cameroon. He started by defining the aim of research ethics committees which is for the review, approval, and monitoring of research ethics protocols including humans. He also explained the structure of the research ethics committees in Cameroon like the National Ethics Committee which is responsible for research projects that cover more than one region; Regional Ethics Committees which focus on projects that are carried out within a particular region; and Institutional Ethics Committees which are responsible for research carried out within an institution. 

Mr Ngu also mentioned the obligations for a research project to be carried out like the obtention of an ethical clearance and an administrative authorization for health research. The ethical clearance is obtained from the Ethics Committees while the administrative authorization is by the Division of Health Research Operations (DROS)

On the challenges of research ethics review, he mentioned the setting up of Institutional Review Boards for Private Institutions which are not very often regulated, and the lack of administrative authorization in regions for researchers who get ethical clearance in their regions from a regional ethics committee. 

He concluded his presentation by emphasizing the need to put in place regulatory text or applicable instruments that will permit the simplification and easy understanding of the 2022 law on medical research taking into consideration the different challenges of research ethics committees.  

The second speaker was Dr. Evleyn Lumngwena, a member of the Cambin ERCC committee and her presentation focused on the process of getting a research ethics clearance in Cameroon using the CAMBIN – ERRC application for Ethical Clearance. In her presentation, she went through the application process by navigating the ERCC website and shared details on the requirements for submitting a protocol and the online submission process. She also drilled participants on the different types of Ethics Reviews which include; Expediated review, Rapid review, Normal Ethics Review, Ethics Waiver, and Amendments. She added that ERCC now requires researchers to do the Training and Resources in Research Ethics Evaluation(TRREE) Module One online training which is FREE for Africans. 

On the types of research requiring approval from ERCC, she mentioned research done for degree purposes, self-initiated projects within an institution, and those done as part of international collaboration. 

Dr Evelyn also emphasized that researchers who get their CAMBIN ethics approval must get the necessary administrative approvals before beginning their research. Researchers must also submit yearly reports on the progress of their research and if they require renewal, must submit a request for renewal. Adverse events must be communicated and the closure of the research must be communicated. 

The last speaker for the day was Dr.  Elsy Wels, a Member of the CAMBIN ERCC Committee, and her presentation focused on the challenges of Ethics review and how to avoid common mistakes drawing from the experiences of the CAMBIN Ethics Committee. She started by mentioning some of the ways researchers can avoid delays in their review process such as meeting application deadlines, following application instructions, and tailoring the application to the reviewer. Dr. Elsy also added that student protocols should also be accompanied by a PI report that is less than 3 months and should be approved by their supervisor. For International Collaborations, the resumes of the Local PI must be included and clearance should be obtained from an international site. She concluded by saying that it is completely unacceptable to request clearance when data has already been collected. The consequence of this is a rejection.

 A Q&A session moderated by Prof. PK Titanji. followed the presentations and participants asked questions to clarify certain points raised by the speakers. At the end of this, Prof Titanji in his concluding works mentioned that the ethics approval landscape in Cameroon is still evolving. He also urged participants to fill out the evaluation forms that will be shared to them later.





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