Alberta’s Health Research Ethics Boards
Alberta has three Research Ethics Boards (REBs) designated under the Health Information Act to review and approve health research. Each one is housed within a sponsoring organization.
REBs are independent in their decision making and are accountable to the highest level in the organizational body that established them for the process of research ethics review. These organizations are accountable for the research conducted under their jurisdiction.
Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta (Alberta Innovates)
The Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta (HREBA) is the provincial board that brings together the former-CPSA board, the community board, and cancer board into one with three committees with the following names:
HREBA – Clinical Trials Committee (CTC)
- Formerly known as the Research Ethics Review Committee (RERC), the CTC protects the public by enabling scientific and ethical review of research proposals submitted by registered Alberta physicians, who are conducting research involving human subjects
HREBA – Community Health Committee (CHC)
- Formerly known as the Community Research Ethics Board of Alberta (CREBA), the CHC is a multi-disciplinary committee with members from both rural and urban Alberta that reviews health research being conducted in communities across the province.
HREBA – Cancer Committee (CC)
- Formerly, the Alberta Cancer Research Ethics Review Committee (ACREC), the CC provides scientific and ethical review of all new protocols and annual renewals involving human subjects (adult and pediatric) and/or research requiring access to personal information submitted by cancer researchers throughout the province of Alberta.