How a Single REB Review Can Look in Canada – Key Learnings from the CHEER Project

DESCRIPTION OF SESSION

The Canadian Collaboration for Child Health: Efficiency and Excellence in the Ethics Review of Research (CHEER) project, in its final year, has learned much over the course of the grant. The primary aims of the project were to address inefficiencies in the ethics review process for multisite, multijurisdictional pediatric research by streamlining REB review using a single board of record model. The current system, involving multiple Research Ethics Boards (REBs) and application forms, is often burdened by delays, inconsistent decisions, and resource strain. To address these challenges, CHEER started work in 2020 to move towards a single REB review for paediatric research. Using REB qualification to build trust and community, as well as education, CHEER has implemented a board of record model across the provinces of Nova Scotia and Ontario, with Newfoundland and Labrador joining soon. We will highlight some of the successes and challenges we encountered along the way and some of the key learnings that can be applied to a future vision for streamlined REB review for multijurisdictional research across Canada.