Ann Twomey, Director of Alzheimer’s Society Ireland, Cork and Mandy Daly, Founder of the Irish Neonatal Health Alliance, Wicklow, were nominated and appointed by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly in May 2021 to join the first National Research Ethics Committees (NREC) for Clinical Trials. Both are IPPOSI Patient Education programme graduates, and they were selected as part of a public call for expressions of interest. A total of 54 members have been appointed to three new Committees within NREC – two for clinical trials and one for medical devices – and the members reflect the diversity of expertise and experience needed to contribute to research ethics review at a national level. Ann and Mandy each join one of the clinical trial committees. More information is available at https://www.nrecoffice.ie/committees/
Former IPPOSI Board member for academia, Jean Saunders has also been appointed to the NREC for clinical trials. Jean has been involved for many years in the areas of public and patient involvement in medical research and ethics. Amongst other positions, Jean is currently Director of Claddagh Statistical Consultancy Services Ltd, Vice-Chair of the University Hospital Limerick Group Research Ethics Committee (REC), Adviser to the University of Limerick Science and Engineering Faculty REC, and member of the NREC COVID-19 Committee. She has now been appointed Deputy Chair of NREC clinical trials committee (B).
Jean says of her appointment “I will, of course, be exploring the PPI aspect of any clinical trial amongst other considerations as I have always felt it was important and this led me to become a member of the INP/ENP and a director of IPPOSI. The need for input from patients into any medical research is an essential aspect of research ethics and is something that I have always been conscious of in many years as a member of Research Ethics Committees.”
