Role of the IARC Ethics Committee (IEC)

The IEC is a committee of senior individuals which meets every two months in Lyon to give ethical evaluation to all IARC projects within its competence. The IEC reviews, approves and monitors all research projects coordinated by IARC scientists or in which they participate, involving individuals especially recruited for the study, human biological materials, and/or data allowing the individuals to be identified.

The committee has the authority to approve or disapprove a protocol or to require modifications to a protocol as a condition for approval, to suspend or terminate a study, or impose restrictions or require modifications to a study as a condition for continuation.

 

Membership of the IARC Ethics Committee (IEC)

The IEC is composed of eleven members from a variety of backgrounds, all of whom have been appointed by the Chairman of the Governing Council. Eight members come from outside the Agency and three from the Agency staff and WHO (to be announced):

  • Professor Samar Al-Homoud (Chair), King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Saudi Arabia
  • Mrs Sandrine Capsalas, INTERPOL, France
  • Dr André L. Carvalho, IARC
  • Dr Gary Clifford, IARC
  • Professor Béatrice Fervers (Vice-Chair), Centre Léon Bérard - Université Lyon 1, France
  • Mr Eric Lucas, IARC
  • Dr Federica Lucivero, Ethox and Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford, UK
  • Dr Ann Olsson, IARC
  • Professor Sharmila A. Pimple, Tata Memorial Hospital, India
  • Professor Paolo Vineis, Imperial College London, UK
  • Professor Yawei Zhang, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, China

The IARC Ethics Advisory Group (EAG)

The EAG is a small group of international bioethics experts, established to provide specialist expertise to the IEC to help resolve complex ethical issues. The members are as follows:

  • Dr Angeliki Kerasidou, The Ethox Centre, University of Oxford
  • Dr Emmanuelle Rial-Sebbag, INSERM Toulouse, Faculty of Medicine
  • Prof Giuseppe Testa, University of Milano, European Institute of Oncology
  • Dr Rodolfo Saracci, former Chair of the IEC, retired member

The Secretariat

  • Dr Chiara Scoccianti (IEC Secretary)
  • Mrs Jolien Jongerius (IEC Secretariat for data protection matters)

For any information about the IARC ethics process, please contact: iec-secretariat@iarc.who.int