Research Proposals Approval Committee
The mandate of the Research Proposals Approval Committee (RPAC) is to review all research proposals that require access to Eastern Health resources and/or access to data that is under Eastern Health’s custody or control, including personal information, personal health information and human biological specimens.
RPAC employs a resource-use lens to ensure that Eastern Health is adequately compensated for its involvement in research and a privacy lens to ensure that appropriate data collection, use, disclosure, transfer, storage, retention and destruction processes are in place.
All research involving Eastern Health data or resources is required to have both Health Research Ethics Board (HREB) and RPAC approval. The RPAC committee meets monthly to review applications approved by the HREB.
In an effort to improve and streamline the process for organizational approval for research, Eastern Health has partnered with other provincial custodians of Personal Health Information to standardize the application process for research. The same application form will be used by all Regional Health Authorities, as well as by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information (NLCHI), for research approval.
Following an application to RPAC, you will receive a short survey regarding your experience. We would appreciate your feedback as it will help us to improve the organizational approval process.
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact rpac@easternhealth.ca or call (709) 752-4636.
For more details, please download the following:
- Process for Review and Approval of Research (PDF)
- Organizational Approval for Research Application Form (PDF)
- Data Custodian Variable List (PDF)
- Departmental Agreement (PDF)
- Research Proposals Approval Committee, Terms of Reference (PDF)
If you have any questions, please contact us.