Ethical Review Committee

The Ethical Review Committee (ERC) functions as an Institutional Review Board for DDI. It is charged to review the ethical aspect of all research proposals that involve Human Subjects, which will be undertaken by the DDI investigators.

The ERC has been established at the DDI in the year 2010 with approval of Ministry of Health (MOH). It is also registered under the U.S. Department of Health and Human services (HHS) with number IRB00007190. 

The ERC is responsible for ensuring the DDI’s compliance with national and international regulatory standards for research on Human Subjects. National regulatory standards include the laws of the State of Kuwait, rules and regulations of the Ministry of Health, and policies and guidelines of DDI. In order to ensure compliance with international ethical standards, the Committee evaluates research protocols in accordance with the:

1. Nuremberg Code of Ethics
2. Belmont Report – Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects
3. World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki- Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects

The Committee also takes guidance from applicable international ethical guidelines for biomedical research, such as the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines for Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research involving Human Subject and Epidemiological Studies.

ERC Members

Chairman:

• Dr. Abdullah Bennakhi – Dasman Diabetes Institute

Members:

• Prof. Fayez Abdullah Madrabi AlKandari – Legal Advisor, Kuwait University
• Dr. Hamad M. Ali Yaseen – Geneticists, Kuwait University 
• Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulla Alali – Community Member
• Dr. Waleed Al-Dahi – Ministry of Health
• Dr. Majedah Abdul Rasoul – Pediatrician, Kuwait University
• Ms. Rashmi Shiju – Dasman Diabetes Institute (Member and Rapporteur)

Members of ERC are reorganized every 3 years.