Individuals who represent the public/patient/caregiver, industry and health journal perspectives are also encouraged to apply in order to fill existing or
future membership gaps.
The SCE is CIHR’s ethics advisory committee providing ethics guidance and oversight to the Governing Council.
The major roles and responsibilities of the committee are to:
- Provide high-level strategic advice on ethical, legal and socio-cultural dimensions of CIHR’s mandate, at the request of the Governing Council and Senior Leadership.
- Provide advice to refine, deliver, and evaluate the impact of CIHR’s Ethics Action Plan on an ongoing basis.
- Exchange on policy information related to the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2) with the Secretariat on Responsible Conduct of Research.
- Contribute to the implementation of CIHR’s 2021-2031 Strategic Plan.
The deadline for applications is April 22, 2021.
To be eligible for consideration, ethics experts must:
- Possess relevant expertise and high-level skills from any discipline of the life sciences and humanities recognized in Canada and abroad. These may include, but are not limited to: medical ethics, research ethics, clinical ethics, ethics education and bioethics; and
- Have two or more of the following competencies:
- ability to foster discussions of ethical issues and the application of ethical principles to health research;
- ability to monitor, analyze and evaluate ethical issues relating to health research or health policy;
- ability to address ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) related to health, health research, and the delivery of health care;
- demonstrated leadership in the development of public policy from an ELSI perspective; and
- demonstrated national and international leadership in mobilizing stakeholders to address important and complex ELS issues affecting fundamental human rights, justice, diversity and culture, and global public interests.
Individuals who have not previously served on CIHR’s Standing Committee on Ethics are particularly encouraged to apply.
Appointments to the Standing Committee on Ethics will be made in a way that ensures:
- A strong and effective committee.
- Transparency and fairness of process.
- Breadth of health research ethics expertise and experience.
- Diversity of membership
The appointments will start on July 1, 2021 for a term of three years, and members may be renewed for a second term of one, two, or three years.
The current membership and additional information on the SCE can be found on our website.
To note: The Terms of Reference of all science standing committees of CIHR’s Governing Council, including the SCE, will be reviewed as part of CIHR’s agency-wide governance renewal exercise.
Time Commitment
The Committee meets up to three times per year (in person, or virtually for the time being) and additional meetings may be held at the call of the Chair.
Remuneration and Expenses
Members are not compensated for their service; however, travel and accommodation expenses are reimbursed in accordance with the Government of Canada Treasury Board Guidelines.
How to Apply
Interested individuals are invited to apply by sending the following two documents to CIHR’s Governance Secretariat : governance-gouvernance@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
- a letter of interest (maximum 1000 words), which makes reference to qualifications, expertise, and the perspective they would bring to the work of the Standing Committee on Ethics (SCE)
- a curriculum vitae
Upon application, individuals will also be asked to complete a self-identification questionnaire.