About the Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee

Find out more about UCL's Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee

What will the Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee do?

To support our work to reform research ethics at UCL, the Research Innovation and Global Engagement Committee (RIGEC) has approved a new governance structure.

Further information about the new structure can be found on our About the UCL Research Ethics Committee page. Under this governance structure, the Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (LMS REC) will be established.

From spring 2024, the LMS REC will review high and low-risk ethics applications from 4 faculties:

• Brain Sciences
• Life Sciences
• Population Health Sciences
• Medical Sciences

How do I submit an application for review by the LMS REC?

Visit our Apply to the UCL Research Ethics Committee page for details on how to submit an ethics application and links to the ethics database.

Constitution and membership

Terms of reference

1. To receive, review and provide an ethics opinion on research by staff or students both low-risk and high-risk from Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences and Medical Sciences.
2. To determine whether the opinion is a) favourable as proposed, b) conditionally favourable, under certain defined conditions or specific requirements or c) unfavourable.
3. To review and provide an ethical opinion (as outlined above) on amendments to previously approved protocols.
4. To review appeals, complaints and adverse events or incidents reported regarding ethically approved research and report them to the UCL Research Ethics Committee (UCL REC).
5. To exercise powers to require the halting of research if substantive ethical problems are identified as the project progresses until such time as any such concerns have been remedied to the satisfaction of the REC.
6. To exercise powers to withdraw a favourable opinion when concerns such as those identified above are not remedied to the satisfaction of the REC.
7. To ensure that appropriate advice is available for staff, supervisors and students on good practice in relation to the ethics of their research.
8. To report on an annual basis to UCL REC to include a summary of all reviewed projects and a report on the effectiveness of current practice and procedures.

Members

This committee will be formed of representatives from the 4 faculties that form this committee (Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences and Medical Sciences).

The reviewing committee will also include lay members who bring a wide range of skills and experience to ensure that the participant’s perspective in any project is considered in detail.

UCL Cross Faculty Academic Members

• David Chau, Faculty of Medical Sciences  
• Melanie Clements, Faculty of Medical Sciences 
• Rowena Viney, Faculty of Medical Sciences 
• Jeanie Suvan, Faculty of Medical Sciences 
• Lisa Cabrita, Faculty of Life Sciences 
• Arnaud Ruiz, Faculty of Life Sciences 
• Francesca Cacucci, Faculty of Life Sciences 
• Rachel Knowles, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 
• Elisa Ruiz Burga, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 
• Jenevieve Mannell, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 
• Claire Powell, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 
• Dimitra Kale, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 
• Wolfgang Stohr, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 
• Jacqueline Nicholls, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 
• Graham Jackson, Faculty of Brain Sciences  
• Isabelle Wilson, Faculty of Brain Sciences 
• Mahi Muqit, Faculty of Brain Sciences 
• Sharandeep Bhogal, Faculty of Brain Sciences 
• Konstantinos Balaskas, Faculty of Brain Sciences 
• Sarah Garfinkel, Faculty of Brain Sciences 
• Ariana Kular, Faculty of Brain Sciences 

Lay members

• Maariyah Samad 
• Janette Laroche