The Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) of the Indian Institute of Public Health-Delhi (IIPH-D), constituted in February 2011, is recognised as a registered body by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, Government of India. The purpose of the IEC is to protect human subjects through ensuring highest ethical standards and conduct in all research carried out under the auspices of IIPHD.
The IEC is headed by a Chairperson and supported by 12 other members including the Member Secretary. The composition of the IEC is a mix of members from different disciplines including public health specialist, eminent scientist, medical doctors/clinicians, pharmacologist, microbiologist, biostatistician, epidemiologist, legal expert and lay person.
As recommended in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines, the basic responsibility of the IEC is “to ensure a competent review of all ethical aspects of the project proposals received by it in an objective manner” (ICMR 2006, p 8). Guided by the recommendations of the ICMR, the IEC of IIPHD endeavours to protect and promote the dignity, rights and wellbeing of potential research participants; ensure that universal ethical values and international scientific standards are adhered to and contextualized to suit the local context; to advise, educate and train the IIPH-D research community periodically; and to apprise its ethics committee member on any updates.