Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee

The Life and Medical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (LMS REC) ethically reviews staff and student research in Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences and Medical Sciences.

The LMS REC reviews high- and low-risk ethics applications from the faculties of Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences, and Medical Sciences.

Visit our Apply to UCL's Research Ethics Committees page for information on the application process, deadlines and LMS REC meeting dates, and to access the ethics database.

Terms of reference

1. To receive, review and provide an ethics opinion on research conducted 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.

Membership

This committee is formed of representatives from the 4 faculties that form this committee (Brain Sciences, Life Sciences, Population Health Sciences and Medical Sciences). The reviewing committee also includes 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. 

Chair

• Dr Rachel Knowles, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences 

Deputy Chairs

• Dr Elisa Ruiz Burga, Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences
• Dr Arnaud Ruiz, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Life Sciences 

Faculty of Brain Sciences  

• Professor Sarah Garfinkel, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
• Charlene Griffith, Institute of Prion Diseases 
• Dr Ariana Kular, Division of Psychiatry
• Isabelle Wilson, Division of Psychiatry

Faculty of Life Sciences 

• Dr Lisa Cabrita, Structural and Molecular Biology
• Professor Francesca Cacucci, Division of Biosciences
• Dr Majella Lane, School of Pharmacy 

Faculty of Medical Sciences 

• Dr David Chau, Eastman Dental Institute
• Dr Melanie Clements, Research Department of Cancer Biology
• Dr Agnieszka Jaworowska, Division of Medicine 
• Dr Rowena Viney, Medical School

Faculty of Population Health Sciences 

• Liz Arram, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology
• Dr Sally Davenport, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
• Rumana Jalil-Rahman, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology
• Dr Dimitra Kale, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care
• Dr Jenevieve Mannell,  Institute for Global Health
• Dr Joanna Morrison, Institute for Global Health
• Dr Jacqueline Nicholls, Institute for Women’s Health Sciences
• Dr Claire Powell, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
• Dr Wolfgang Stohr, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology
• Dr Kaya Widuch, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology

External members

• Poonam Dhokia
• Janette Laroche