Research Ethics

We oversee the ethical conduct and decision-making of adult clinical and behavioural oncology research projects at BC Cancer that involves human participants, human biological materials, or personal information.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We support ethics, integrity and compliance by:

  • Providing education and advice
  • Conducting and supporting research
  • Developing policies and guidance
  • Managing research ethics administration

BC Cancer's Research Ethics Board REB) is one of the six research ethics boards authorized by the University of British Columbia (UBC). TheResearch Ethics Office supports and administers the REB.

Before a BC Cancer research project can begin, the BC Cancer Research Ethics Board must review and approve all research that involves: 

  • Human participants
  • Human biological materials
  • Information derived from humans

Research Ethics Office

Contact us if you have questions or would like to arrange a consultation :

Email: reb@bccancer.bc.ca

Research ethics officers

Contact a research ethics officer for questions about:

  • Pre-review of all full-board and delegated/minimal-risk studies
  • Documentation related to full-board REB decisions, including:
    • Deferrals
    • Provisos
    • Amendments
    • Renewals
Please include the RISe file number, if available (for example, Hxx-yyyyy).​​​

Officers: 

Director

Jessica Bigland is the director of the Research Ethics Office.

Contact the Director for questions about:​

  • Compliance with local, national and international policies and legislation
  • Research Ethics administration activities, procedures and direction
  • Ethics or research integrity concerns
  • Training 
Research Ethics Board

The Research Ethics Board (REB) includes members with extensive experience in:

  • Scientific research
  • Cancer research
  • Patient experience
  • Ethical and legal issues related to research involving humans. 

REB leadership

Chair

  • Dr. Howard Lim

Vice-chair

  • ​Dr. Anna Tinker

Membership lists (PDFs)

For earlier membership lists, contact reb@bccancer.bc.ca.

Compliance assurances

The REB complies with the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) regulations for protecting human research participants (45 CFR 46.103).

These regulations require institutions that conduct or support DHHS-funded human-subject research to maintain an approved assurance of compliance through the US Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP).

BC Cancer and the BC Cancer Research Ethics Board maintain:

  • Federalwide Assurance (FWA)
  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) registration

Canadian research ethics boards (REBs) are commonly referred to as institutional review boards (IRBs) in the United States.

Assurance information

Organization: BC Cancer
Federalwide Assurance number: FWA00001149
Expiry date: June 5, 2030

Registration information

IRB organization (IORG): BC Cancer
IORG number: IORG0003172

IRB: B.C. Cancer IRB #1
IRB number: IRB00003797
Expiry date: June 10, 2028

To verify BC Cancer's OHRP/FDA assurances, search the Office for Human Research Protections database using the IORG, FWA or IRB number.

UBC assurance of compliance

The BC Cancer Research Ethics Board is affiliated with the University of British Columbia (UBC).

The UBC Office of Research Services provides regulatory oversight for all UBC-affiliated research ethics boards.

For more information, see the Assurance of Compliance Statement.

News and events
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