Janet Manzo

Executive Director, Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

As Executive Director of the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board (OCREB) since January 2006, Janet Manzo has led the refinement and successful delivery of an innovative model of centralized ethics review of multi-centre oncology trials in Ontario. Janet was a former oncology nurse and has close to 30 years of experience in clinical research from various viewpoints, including the investigator site, the sponsor and the REB. With her broad experience in the trenches, as well as in leadership roles, Janet has a deep understanding and appreciation of the issues in today’s competitive research environment. Over the years, Janet has served on a variety of provincial and national committees, such as the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Research Ethics Boards (CAREB); the CAREB External Serious Adverse Event Working Group, which developed the first CAREB Guidance; the Canadian General Standards Board Standards Committee on Research Ethics Boards Reviewing Biomedical Clinical Trials; the Strategy for Patient Oriented External Advisory Committee for the Streamlining of Health Research Ethics Review; the CAREB Certification Steering Committee; the Clinical trials Ontario Research Ethics Review Advisory Group; and the Canadian Clinical Trials Coordinating Centre Research Ethics Board Accreditation Working Group. In April 2014, Janet received the CAREB President’s Award, which recognizes a CAREB member for advancing the organization’s objectives through outstanding contributions and commitment to enhancing the protection of human research participants and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the processes of human research. Janet has developed a solid reputation for strategic alliance building, effective collaboration, and the ability to motivate others into action. Tapping into her energy, enthusiasm and diverse experience, Janet strives to continually increase the value that OCREB brings to the protection of research participants, and to improving the clinical research environment more broadly.

All Sessions by Janet Manzo

  • Thursday April 2nd


  • 14:00  - 15:00
    In 2004, the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board (OCREB) implemented a streamlined review process for multi-centre cancer trials in Ontario resulting in minimized redundancy, increased consistency, and decreased cost in comparison to having a study reviewed by an REB at every participating study site. In 2015, Research Manitoba launched an initiative called RITHIM (Research Improvement Through Harmonization in Manitoba) to harmonize the system for ethics, privacy, and impact review of health research. In June 2017, CancerCare Manitoba contacted OCREB to explore the possibility of expanding the OCREB model beyond Ontario, and with the perseverance of a patient advocate, the idea gained momentum. OCREB, Research Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba and the University of Manitoba REB are now working on a pilot REB streamlining project. The results of the pilot will provide the foundation for a larger scale project aimed at determining the feasibility of a pan-Canadian approach to REB review. With a constant focus on trust-building and recognition of provincial nuances, the pilot project provides a multi-stage approach that moves through established models of harmonized ethics review. The process begins with a facilitated review stage with debriefing meetings to understand convergence and divergence between the two ethics boards. The project will move through the different review models by consensus, identifying and managing any barriers and challenges that arise, ultimately to achieve a single REB review model for Ontario and Manitoba for multi-centre cancer research. Current status, accomplishments, next steps, and the potential benefits to research participants, REB members and investigators, will all be presented. Keywords: multi-jurisdictional, harmonized review, benefits
    Breakout Sessions
    Where
    Celtic II




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Janet Manzo
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