{"id":4911,"date":"2024-07-30T06:32:48","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T22:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/phys-test\/?page_id=4911"},"modified":"2025-08-26T13:19:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T05:19:05","slug":"ethics-review-committee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/phys\/research\/ethics-review-committee\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethics Review Committee (MSDERC)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1>\n\t\tEthics Review Committee\n\t<\/h1>\n\t\n\t<h3><strong>NUSMed Medical Sciences Departmental Ethics Review Committee (MSDERC)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 tabindex=\"0\">What constitutes education research?<\/h5>\n\t\t\t<p><em>1.1 Definition of Research by NUS-IRB<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A systematic investigation, including research development, testing or evaluation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. Such activity may or may not differ in any significant way from customary medical or other professional practice. Educational exercises involving human participants that are not construed as &#8220;research&#8221; (e.g., class demonstrations and exercises that do not lead to publishable materials) do not require ethics review, unless otherwise required by the Faculty or Department Heads. The intent to publish is usually one criterion for a project to be considered research. Most reputable journals would require the research to be reviewed by the IRB before they will agree to publish the results of the research.<\/p>\n<p><em>1.2 Definition of Social, Behavioural and Educational Research (SBER) by NUS-IRB<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Human-based research studies that do not fall under the purview of &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/nus.edu.sg\/research\/irb\/guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Human Biomedical Research Act (HBRA)<\/a>&#8221; will generally be categorised as &#8220;Social, Behavioural and Educational Research (SBER)&#8221;.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 tabindex=\"0\">How does the Departmental Ethics Review Committee (DERC) function? <\/h5>\n\t\t\t<p><em>2.1 Responsibilities of the DERC<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The DERC may review all faculty research involving human subjects when:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>i. they are construed as &#8220;research&#8221;;<\/li>\n<li>ii. the research is excluded from the HBRA;<\/li>\n<li>iii. the faculty&#8217;s research is of minimal risk<sup>1<\/sup>\u00a0and qualifies for an Exemption;<\/li>\n<li>iv. the research does not involve vulnerable populations<sup>2<\/sup>\u00a0and\/or deception<sup>3<\/sup>\u00a0(see IRB-GUIDE-020 on use of deception in research), or sensitive topics;<\/li>\n<li>v. the research involves the use of lucky draws in lieu of reimbursement for participation in the study, where the conduct of the lucky draws or research fulfil the criteria as stated in the NUS-IRB&#8217;s guidelines for lucky draws; and<\/li>\n<li>vi. the research does not involve any testing of a medical device or health product as defined in the Health Products Act.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All research not covered above will have to be reviewed by the NUS-IRB. The DERC may also refer research studies to the NUS-IRB if they are uncomfortable with undertaking the review. The NUS-IRB will issue a statement of concurrence for DERC-approved studies, upon request by the PI for the purpose of publication and\/ or release of grant funding. Faculty can also submit their research that qualify for Exemption to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nus.edu.sg\/research\/irb\/irims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NUS-IRB<\/a>\u00a0directly for ethics review.<\/p>\n<p><sup>1<\/sup><em>Risk is considered minimal where the probability and magnitude of harm or discomfort anticipated in the research are not greater, in and of themselves, than those ordinarily encountered in daily life or during the performance of routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.<\/em><br \/><sup>2<\/sup><em>Refers to subjects who may be unduly coerced or influenced to participate (e.g. children, prisoners, pregnant women, cognitively impaired persons, or educationally disadvantaged persons who require special consideration to protect their welfare.)<\/em><br \/><sup>3<\/sup><em>Deception occurs when (i) a researcher deliberately gives subjects false information about some aspect of the research; or (ii) knowingly withholds information about the real purpose or nature of the research (i.e. incomplete disclosure or concealment).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>2.2 Composition of the Medical Sciences Departmental Ethics Review Committee<br \/><\/em><br \/><strong>Chairperson<\/strong><br \/>Dr Ivan Low Cherh Chiet<\/p>\n<p><strong>Deputy Chairperson<\/strong><br \/>Dr Zakaria Ali Moh. Almsherqi<\/p>\n<p><strong>DERC Members<\/strong><br \/>Associate Professor Thilo Hagen<br \/>Associate Professor Judy Sng Chia Ghee<br \/>Dr Natasha Luke<br \/>Dr Yeo Huimin<br \/>Dr Amanda Wong<br \/>Dr Wong Lik Wei<br \/>Ms Swapna Haresh Teckwani<\/p>\n<p><strong>Administrative Staff-in-Charge<\/strong><br \/>Ms Swapna Haresh Teckwani<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 tabindex=\"0\">How do I know if my research study qualifies for exemption?<\/h5>\n\t\t\t<p>To find out if your research study qualifies for exemption, you may verify it with IRB&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/nus.edu.sg\/research\/irb\/guidelines\/sber-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">List of SBER Exemption Categories<\/a> under the heading &#8220;Exemption Categories&#8221;.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 tabindex=\"0\">How do I submit an application?<\/h5>\n\t\t\t<p>With effect from\u00a0<b>25 February 2025<\/b>, all MSDERC applications should be submitted via the DERC Review and Approval Management Application (DREAM app). Hardcopy submissions sent via email will no longer be accepted. The app can be accessed via this link:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apps.powerapps.com\/play\/e\/e74fef0f-d04d-e343-9a58-eff08c0d708f\/a\/8296c5c8-250a-47d2-bb85-cd589f1efcf9?tenantId=5ba5ef5e-3109-4e77-85bd-cfeb0d347e82&amp;hidenavbar=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DERC Review and Approval Management (DREAM) App<\/a><br \/>Applicants may refer to the user guide\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nusu.sharepoint.com\/sites\/DREAMProductionSite\/Guides\/Forms\/AllItems.aspx?CT=1751268979556&amp;OR=OWA%2DNT%2DMail&amp;CID=5ac65a5a%2D9a3a%2Dc1d7%2D8dc1%2Ddca3b8f82e7f&amp;csf=1&amp;web=1&amp;e=DkaPhh&amp;FolderCTID=0x012000C00E15E4934FBA438778965ECCC0F1CF&amp;id=%2Fsites%2FDREAMProductionSite%2FGuides%2FDREAM%20Guides\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>\u00a0for more information<\/p>\n<p><b>Reviewers at MSDERC will endeavour to respond to your application within 2 weeks from date of study submission.<\/b><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 tabindex=\"0\">Forms for download<\/h5>\n\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/phys\/sites\/DERC\/documents\/MSDERC Exemption Form V1.1 16-09-22.docx\">Application Form<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/phys\/sites\/DERC\/documents\/MSDERC Participants Information Sheet &amp; Consent Form V1.1 16-09-2022.docx\">Participant Information Sheet &amp; Consent Form<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/phys\/sites\/DERC\/documents\/MSDERC Protocol_amendment.doc\">Protocol Amendment Form<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h5 tabindex=\"0\">General Enquiries<\/h5>\n\t\t\t<p>Further information can be found on the website of <a href=\"https:\/\/nus.edu.sg\/research\/irb\/derc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NUS-IRB<\/a>. For more enquiries, you may email: Swapna Haresh Teckwani, <a href=\"mailto:phsnmc@nus.edu.sg\">swapnaht@nus.edu.sg<\/a><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ethics Review Committee NUSMed Medical Sciences Departmental Ethics Review Committee (MSDERC) What constitutes education research? 1.1 Definition of Research by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8988,"featured_media":0,"parent":59,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4911","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ethics Review Committee (MSDERC) - NUS Department of Physiology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/medicine.nus.edu.sg\/phys\/research\/ethics-review-committee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ethics Review Committee (MSDERC) - NUS Department of Physiology\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ethics Review Committee NUSMed Medical Sciences Departmental Ethics Review Committee (MSDERC) What constitutes education research? 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