Steering Committee / Advisory Board

• Advise on day-to-day operations.
• Oversee the implementation of research policies, procedures, and initiatives.
• Facilitate research activities and programs
• Evaluate and manage research resources, including budgets and personnel.
• Ensure integration of research efforts with the organization's goals.
• Provide regular updates on research activities and outcomes.
• Support the development and maintenance of research databases and systems.
• Foster a culture of research excellence and compliance with ethical and regulatory standards.
• Develop the long-term research strategy of the organization.
• Evaluate emerging trends and opportunities to guide decision-making.
• Provide input on research resource allocation for new initiatives.
• Periodically review and update the institution’s research and innovation policies if needed.
• Assist in identifying and engaging external stakeholders including educational institutions, government agencies, industry partners, and funding bodies to promote collaboration, networking, and partnerships.
• Director L-ORIC will convene the meeting of the committee on a monthly basis.
• The Chairperson and Secretary of the Ethical Review Committee, Editor of MedEra Journal, Secretary of the Technical Review Committee and members of the Research Management Committee are co-opted members of the Steering Committee/Advisory Board.

 

Research Management Committee

The Research Management Committee at CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry (CMH LMC & IOD) is established to facilitate and enhance research activities across the institution, ensuring alignment with the institutional vision and policies while promoting a collaborative, ethical, and sustainable research environment. It will serve as a liaison between academic departments and the institutional research cell (L-ORIC) to ensure effective communication and coordination on research-related activities, thereby promoting a culture of research excellence across CMH LMC & IOD.

 

Technical Review Committee (TRC)

The Technical Review Committee will assess research proposals for their scientific soundness, research methodology, and statistical rigor to ensure the quality and integrity of research. This includes assessing the clarity of objectives, hypothesis formulation, research design, data collection methods, statistical analyses, and overall scientific merit. Reviewers should offer constructive feedback and recommendations to the research proposal's authors, highlighting strengths and weaknesses with an aim to enhance the overall quality and rigor of the proposed research. Reviewers are expected to provide suggestions and recommendations within 5 working days from the receipt of the research proposal. Reviewers must ensure the confidentiality of research proposals and the information contained within them. The secretary of TRC will communicate the outcome of technical review to the corresponding researcher with the approval of Director L-ORIC.

Ethical Review Committee (ERC)

Establishment:

The Ethical Review Committee (ERC) is established as an independent committee to review and approve research involving human subjects. It ensures that the researcher fulfills the ethical standards of research and standards given in the National Accreditation Framework for Medical and Dental School in Pakistan 2019. The committee has the authority to approve, reject or stop studies or require modifications to research protocols. They may also perform other functions, such as setting policies or offering opinions on ongoing ethical issues in research. Review by the committee will facilitate researchers in addressing the shortcomings of their proposed studies and ensure that the ethical aspects are in conformation with the international ethical standards governing research involving human participants, as well as by local law in many jurisdictions. In international cooperative research, review may be required by the laws of the country in which the research is being sponsored, even if it is not required by the host country’s own laws. Review is also essential if the researchers intend to publish the results of their investigation, as most medical journals will not publish the results of research that has not received the approval of ERC.

Functions:

• Identifying the scientific shortcomings in research proposals
• Facilitating the researchers in methodology and statistical analysis
• Identifying and weighing the risks and potential benefits of research
• Evaluating the process and materials (printed documents and other tools) that will be used for seeking participants’ informed consent.
• Assessing the recruitment process and any incentives that will be given to participants.
• Evaluating risks to participants.
• Confidentiality (and the related risk of discrimination) and the adequacy of confidentiality protections
• Examining any other issues that may affect the ethical acceptability of the research.
• In international research, the committee represents the interests of the local population. Thus, it should ensure that the participants and their communities will receive fair benefits from the arrangement.
• In studies involving medical interventions, ERC must determine that adequate care and treatment will be provided for participants. This can be a significant issue in studies involving placebo controls (see Declaration of Helsinki, Section 322).
• ERC should consider what will happen to participants who need medical attention during or after the study, either because they suffer injuries as a result of participation or because of the natural progression of a pre-existing illness. Sponsors’ obligations to provide care in such circumstances should be clearly established before a study begins and made clear to potential participants during the informed-consent process.
• ERC will judge the adequacy and accuracy of information on the informed consent document.
• ERC will send written notification to the investigator including reasons for the decision and give the investigator an opportunity to respond in person or writing.

Powers:

• Reject the research proposal in whole or in part
• Defer consideration of a research proposal to a subsequent meeting if substantial modification is required or where significant additional information is needed.
• Authorize the research to proceed without requiring any amendment.
• Require clarification or modification of parts of the research submission. The Chair will normally be granted authority to approve the amendments without requiring further deliberations by the full Committee.
• Revoke approval if dissatisfied with the conduct of the research or of the researcher

Membership:

Chairperson: The chairperson will hold a leadership role in the committee to facilitate meetings, ensure adherence to ethical standards, and represent the committee when and where necessary.

Secretary: In addition to participating in the ethical review process, the secretary will maintain record of the meetings and communicate the outcomes of ethical review to the corresponding researchers after approval from the chairperson.

Scientific Member: The scientific member will provide input on the scientific validity and methodology of research proposals.

Ethicist: Ethicist will be a member who is a qualified expert in ethics, moral philosophy, or related fields. Ethicists will provide guidance on ethical principles and help assess the ethical aspects of research.

Non-Scientific Member (Layperson): The non-scientific or lay member representing the perspective of the general public will provide insight into how the research may affect the community and ensure that ethical considerations are accessible to the public.

Additional Experts: Depending on the nature of the research being reviewed, additional experts may be required. For example, if the research involves vulnerable populations (e.g., children, prisoners), experts in those areas may be necessary. In proposals involving complex legal issues or regulations, a legal expert or advisor may be required to assist the committee. A community representative of the population likely to be affected by the research may be required to provide valuable input on community concerns and interests. If the committee reviews medical research, a physician may be included to assess medical aspects and patient safety. The decision for calling additional experts will be made by the chairperson.

Meeting Frequency: The chairperson should convene a meeting on a monthly basis. Additional meeting(s) may be required depending on the number of proposals received. The chairperson may call an additional meeting giving prior intimation to Director L-ORIC.

Quorum: A minimum of three members including the chairperson and the scientific member must be present for the ERC to conduct its meetings and review research proposals.

Conflicts of Interest: Members should disclose any conflicts of interest related to the research proposals they review and may be asked by the chairperson to recuse themselves from discussions or decisions when conflicts arise.

Review Process: Research proposals will be forwarded to ERC after successful plagiarism check and approval by technical review committee.

Complete Review: The committee reviews research proposals to assess their ethical, scientific, and methodological aspects. Checklist submitted by the researcher will be verified against the evaluation proforma of ERC.

Continuing Review: For ongoing research, the committee conducts periodic reviews to ensure that ethical standards continue to be met.

Expedited Review: Some minor changes to research protocols or other submissions may be eligible for expedited review by a subset of the committee at the discretion of the chairperson

Decision-Making: Committee should ensure that research projects adhere to scientific standards, ethical guidelines, institutional policies and relevant legal or other requirements. The chairperson should communicate the decisions and recommendations of the committee, and any required revisions to researchers in a timely and transparent manner.

Reporting: In some instances, ERC may be required to report to the CE/Principal, Vice Principal (Academics), Director L-ORIC and/or any regulatory authorities and funding agencies on their activities and decisions. In such cases, the chairperson will be responsible for submitting reports.

Training: Members should ideally receive GCP (good clinical practice) or other relevant training in research ethics and the regulations governing research involving human subjects / animals etc.