Background
Is established in alignment with the medical college’s mission to provide quality and affordable curative, rehabilitative, preventive, and promote healthcare services and train competent, compassionate and ethical health professionals using integrated and quality medical education, and to perform need-based research. Has six full time researchers with different background in bio medical and public health background. More than 200 volunteer reviewers from more than 37 fields of specialty. 15 institutional review board members with two years of term and robust in managing research grants of up to 5 million Canadian dollar.
SPHMMC undertakes operational researches which falls under various health priority themes in the country. Which includes infectious disease, non-communicable diseases, reproductive and adolescent health, nutrition, healthcare services, medical education and training, accidents, and emergencies.
Apart from its students and academic staff, investigators from other teaching institutions and organizations conduct health researches in the college.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, plays a crucial role in overseeing ethical standards for research conducted at the institution. It ensures that studies comply with ethical guidelines such as the Declaration of Helsinki, ensuring participant confidentiality, informed consent, and the protection of the rights and welfare of human research subjects involved in research activities. For example, ethical clearance is required for prospective and retrospective studies, where patient anonymity is maintained, as seen in several studies conducted at SPHMMC.
The IRB is involved in approving a wide range of research projects, including clinical trials and observational studies. It is responsible for reviewing research proposals and ensuring that studies align with both national and international ethical standards. The IRB has the authority to approve, disapprove, exempt, monitor, and require modifications to all research activities that fall within its mandate as specified by both the national and institutional policy.
St. Paul’s IRB has been established in 2015 and restructured in 2021. Guidelines and policy has been developed during the establishment. Followed by endorsement of 27 SOPs in 2022, and recognition to level A IRB by the Ministry of Education Ethiopia under the national research ethics committee.
For each study, the IRB provides a reference number to track and monitor the ethical approval, such as PM xx/xxxx.
Additionally, the IRB of SPHMMC ensures the protection of vulnerable populations and maintains ethical integrity throughout the research process.
Nationally accredited Level A IRB by the national research ethics committee at the Ministry of education that has the privilege to review and approve human subject studies including clinical trials with certain precincts.