Membership requirements
The appointment of RU-IREC membership will be direct appointment by the Vice Chancellor of Rongo University. TheRU-IREC shall be 9 (Nine) to 15 (Fifteen) members of whom at least 40% shall be drawn from human health professions, taking into account the diversity of the disciplines in the University. The committee shall also include at least 40% of either gender.
Eligibility of membership shall be as follows:
- A social and behavioral scientist (cultural anthropologist and medicalsociologist),physician, epidemiologists, basic scientists, Educationist,social and behavioral scientists, a lawyer, a statistician, a lay person, a religious representative, a community representative, a media person, Environmentalists, natural scientists,. ’This list is clearly indicative and not exhaustive’
- A rotation system will be adopted for membership in order to maintain continuity, development and maintenance of expertise within the RU-IREC, and the regular input of fresh ideas and approaches.
Terms of membership
- Members should be willing to make public their full names, profession, and institutional affiliation.
- Members shall be expected to declare any conflicts of interest which may arise or exist during their tenure on the RU-IREC committee. Such conflict will be declared in writing before each meeting and documented in the minutes. Members will recuse themselves from any discussion of a protocol in which they have a conflict of interest (COI).
- Members will sign a confidentiality agreement at the beginning of their appointment regarding meeting deliberations, RU-IREC committee applications, information on research participants, and related matters; in addition, all RU-IREC Secretariat staff shall sign a similar confidentiality agreement.
- Each member shall serve for a period of three (3) years. The tenure may be renewed for one or more additional terms at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor and the University Board of Management.
- The Vice Chancellor in consultation with the University Board of Management shall have authority to remove or replace a RU-IREC committee member.
- The Vice Chancellor may terminate the services of or disqualify a member of the RU-IREC on grounds of:
- Misconduct.
- Abuse of office.
- Non-disclosure of competing interests.
- Inappropriate behaviour.
- Unprofessional conduct.
- Failure to abide by the terms of appointment.
- Failure to attend more than 60% of the meetings in a year.
- A member may resign from the RU-IREC on his/her own volition. The member shall be required to submit his/her resignation in writing at least two (02) months prior to his/her anticipated end date to allow time to fill the vacancy that will exist as a result of his/her resignation.
- When a new member has been appointed to the RU-IREC, an appointment letter from the Vice Chancellor shall be sent to the new member. The chairperson of RU-IREC or a RU-IREC committee Secretary shall then arrange an orientation session with the new member. On completion of the induction, the new member may begin attending the RU-IREC meetings.
- Members will be reimbursed for expenses incurred in attending the RU-IREC meetings and/or research site visits. The allowance shall be decided upon by the executive members of RU- IREC
- Note: The Executive RU-IREC members is composed of the VC, DVC – ASA, RU-IREC chairperson and secretary and Dean, Research and post graduate studies.
Continuing Education for RU-IREC Members
All the RU-IREC committee members shall be asked to participate in workshops germane to the RU-IREC committee responsibilities.
Each RU-IREC committee member shall be given the opportunity to attend Bioethics and Scientific Conferences or Seminars whenever funds to support these activities are available.
All the RU-IREC members shall be required to undertake ethics training, e.g. The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program or a similar curriculum, at least once every three (3) years.