The primary and clear purpose of the Oak Valley Health Research Ethics Board (REB) is to protect the rights, safety and well-being of patients involved in studies at Markham Stouffville Hospital and Uxbridge Hospital. The Oak Valley Health REB operates in compliance with the following:

• the Tri-Council Policy Statement 2 (TCPS2): Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (2010);
• the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines;
• Part C, Division 5 of the Food and Drug Regulations of Health Canada; and
• the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA-Ontario 1998, updated through November 2005)

 Applying for REB approval

All applications to conduct research at Oak Valley Health must be submitted to the REB for review and approval before starting research activities.

To apply for review, you must:

1. Identity a principal investigator (PI) at Oak Valley Health
2. Ensure all individuals conducting research activities have completed the necessary training (e.g. TCPS2, GCP, Health Canada Division 5), based on the study type
3. Obtain approval from the head of the department the research study will impact, and
4. Provide an REB approval letter from the lead REB site, if the research study is initiated elsewhere

Please email REB submissions to ResesarchAdmin@msh.on.ca. To learn more, please review our frequently asked questions about the REB.

 REB application forms

Initial review forms	Ongoing review forms
REB submission checklist	Amendment application form
Confidentiality agreement	Protocol deviation form
Conflict of interest declaration	Study closure form
Privacy and security fundamentals training	Study renewal form
Privacy and security fundamentals training - attestation of completion	Personnel change form
Initial application form for human subjects	Internal SAE reporting form
Initial application form for retrospective studies	External SAE reporting form

The REB meets on the second Thursday of each month and submissions are due on the last calendar day of each month for review at the next month's meeting.

• Please view our list of meeting dates and deadlines.
• You can also view a list of current REB members.

Minimal risk studies for delegated REB review and approval can be submitted at any time.

A study of "minimal risk" research is defined as research in which the probability and magnitude of possible harms implied by participation in the research is no greater than those encountered by participants in those aspects of their everyday life that relate to the research (Article 6.2, TCPS2).

 Templates and guidelines

Please see below documents that are useful when preparing a research application to the REB.

Templates
Protocol template
Minimal risk informed consent form
Clinical trials informed consent form
Verbal consent checklist
Invitation letter from Circle of Care

Guidelines
Informed consent checklist
Informed consent requirements and documentation
Reporting SAEs and Unanticipated problems
Reporting protocol deviations
Signing authority guidelines
Determining if a project is research or quality improvement
Health Canada REB attestation (REBA) form
Recruitment material guidelines

 REB consultation services

The REB offers one-on-one or group ethics consultations for staff, investigators, coordinators, and students prior to and throughout the ethics review process. In a consultation, the REB can provide advice on:

• developing an ethically sound human research protocol during the design phase of a study (including multisite or complex projects);
• resolving ethical dilemmas that may arise through study planning and execution;
• navigating the REB review process, including guidance for researchers new to the REB review process who would like additional information before submitting their first application;
• making changes to REB-approved studies; and
• other human research ethics questions.

Please contact ResearchAdmin@msh.on.ca to arrange an individual or group consultation.

 REB fees

The following fees apply to industry-sponsored studies:

• Initial REB submission/review: $3,000
• Amendments: $500
• Annual/continued renewals: $500