The Ethics Review Committee (ERC) of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS) and the ERC of the Graduate School (GS) ERC have been granted Level 2 Accreditation by the Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB). The awarding of accreditation certificates took place during the 11th Philippine National Health Research System Week celebration held at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City on August 25, 2017. The accreditation is effective for three years from August 9, 2017 to August 8, 2019. Assoc. Prof. Michael Peralta and Prof. Librado Santiago received the certificate on behalf of the GS-ERC while Mr. Christian Rimando received the certificate on behalf of the CRS-ERC.
An ERC is a body, duly constituted by a recognized authority that makes independent decisions regarding the review, approval, and implementation of research proposals or protocols, in order to ensure the protection of the rights, safety, and well-being of human participants. It thus promotes the integrity of the research data. The PHREB is a board created under the Department of Science and Technology that has a mandate to ensure adherence to the universal principles for the protection of human participants in research. A PHREB Level 2 accreditation means that an ERC can review all types of health and health-related research protocols except clinical trials required for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registration of new drugs. These protocols may entail more than minimal risks to participants.
Aside from the CRS-ERS and GS-ERC, the University of Santo Tomas Hospital Institutional Review Board (USTH-IRB) is a PHREB Level 3 Accredited ERC, where they review all types of research studies including those required for FDA registration of food, drugs, and medical devices.
