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Research and Innovation > About > Boards and Committees > Research Ethics Boards (REBs)

Research Ethics Boards (REBs)

Ethics protocols are reviewed by one of three University of Toronto REBs, based on the departmental or faculty affiliation of the principal investigator, except for the HIV REB. This REB is not department specific and it reviews all HIV/AIDS research, regardless of PI affiliation.

Please review the information below for application instructions and submission deadlines.

Social Sciences, Humanities and Education REB

Chair: Professor Matthew Brower
Research Ethics Manager: Dr. Dean Sharpe
Departments covered: All disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, education (OISE/UT), applied sciences.

Health Sciences REB

Chair: Professor Elizabeth Peter
Research Ethics Manager: Daniel Gyewu
Departments covered: Faculty of Medicine (all departments), IBBME, Nursing, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Social Work, Physical Education & Health, Dentistry, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Engineering.

HIV REB

Co-Chairs: Dr. Darrell Tan and Mr. Raj Maharaj
Research Ethics Manager: TBD
Departments covered: All HIV/AIDS research from any department and all community-based research brokered by OHTN.

Submission Procedures

Application Material

We now accept electronic submissions exclusively by email (no need to hand in hard copies), for both delegated and full REB reviews for all our REBs (SSH&E, HS and HIV). Please e-mail one electronic copy of your protocol and appendices as a single Word document or a pdf, with appendices pasted in at the end, to new.ethics.protocols@utoronto.ca. Electronic signatures are preferred.

All other submissions, which are not new (e.g., revisions and continuing review submissions), as well as general inquiries, should be sent to ethics.review@utoronto.ca.

We are accepting TAHSN harmonized protocol forms for all studies that have been submitted for hospital REB review. Please e-mail the approved protocol with the approval letter from the hospital, and the University of Toronto TAHSN Cover Sheet.

HIV REB reviews all protocols at full board level but applies proportionate review based on the level of risk.

Guidelines

The new submission e-mail should contain all documents in a single attachment (as a PDF or Word).

Ethics review submissions should normally not include thesis proposals, journal articles, or budgets.

Applicants are advised to refer to the Guide for Informed Consent when preparing information and consent letters/forms.

If applicants are preparing ethics protocol submissions that involve key informant interviews, deception, or participant observation, please refer to Ethical Guidelines on Interviewing Public Personalities, Guidelines for the Use of Deception and Debriefing in Research, or Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Participant Observation.

All research to be conducted in schools must have administrative consent/permission prior to recruitment. Some school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, require protocol review by their Research Committee before gaining administrative permission. Please contact the school board to be involved with your research for further information.

Submission Deadlines & Important Dates

The deadline for SSHE and HS delegated review is EVERY Monday (or first business day of the week) by 4 pm. Investigators are advised to submit well in advance of their anticipated start date. HIV REB reviews all protocols at full board level but applies proportionate review based on the level of risk.

Investigators are advised to submit well in advance of their anticipated start date.

Dates for Full Board Submissions and Meetings

Upcoming Social Sciences, Humanities and Education REB Meetings

Upcoming Health Sciences REB Meeting Dates

Upcoming HIV REB Meeting Dates