Clinical Research Ethics Consult Service

Clinical Research Ethics Mission

The ICTS clinical research ethics mission is to improve the quality of clinical investigation at UCI. To implement this goal, we have established a Clinical Research Ethics Consult Service (CRECS) to assist clinical investigators in working out experimental design problems when the nature of the research problem, its subject population or the clinical situation pose ethical issues. 

Who We Serve

Ethics consultations are available to all UCI clinical investigators including trainees, so long as the problem relates to clinical research. 

Services We Provide

• Project planning consultation (new projects or new aspects of continuing projects). Common issues that have ethical components include use of placebos, vulnerable populations, complex informed consent issues, risk assessment in a pilot clinical study, and studies designed to gather biologic information only.  CRECS can provide advice and information about these and other critical ethical issues.
• Suggestions regarding ethical problems raised in external or internal reviews including IRB reviews.
• Education on research ethics issues.
• External consults are available with a nationwide collaborative group of bioethicists for particularly complex problems.      

Contact Information

CRECS is coordinated by Prof. Leigh Turner, who has years of experience with biomedical ethics. He is the Executive Director of the University of California, Irvine Bioethics Program and a Professor in the Program in Public Health’s Department of Health, Society, and Behavior. Investigators interested in obtaining a consultation should email Dr. Turner at leigh.turner@uci.edu.  Alternatively, investigators can contact Andria Pontello Meyer, ICTS Administrative Director at apontell@uci.edu.