Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Isabelle Butcher is a member of the ATTUNE group and is chair of a Health Research Authority Ethics Committee.
What is your job role and briefly tell us about your research interests?
I work as a post-doctoral researcher working on a UKRI funded project known as ATTUNE which is led by Professor Kam Bhui in Department of Psychiatry and is exploring adolescent mental health using creative arts methodologies.
How did you get into your role chairing an ethics committee?
As part of my MRC funded PhD at University of Manchester (2016-2020), I recruited over 120 individuals with a diagnosis of psychosis from community, inpatient and organisations across England and to conduct this work I had to gain ethical approval from the NHS ethical body known as the Health Research Authority.
The experience of attending a committee in person was a little daunting and yet it was encouraging to see so many people had read the application in great detail. I went back to the university and the Head of Sponsorship at the university informed me that you can apply to be a member of the ethics committee. So, halfway through my PhD I signed up and for the duration of my PhD I was a member and then more recently I am now Chair of the committee.
Ethics committees can receive a bad reputation, with many researchers apprehensive at attending these, and so by chairing a committee it allows me to advise the researcher(s) in a supportive manner whilst being mindful of ethical concerns.
Briefly, what does your role as chair involve?
I chair the committee meetings which are held once a month for eleven months of the year. These are all on Zoom now, and in addition to this I chair any Proportionate Review (PR) ethics meetings which are held by email correspondence monthly. Proportionate Review meetings are where studies that do not go to full committee meetings, are discussed. I also chair any sub-committees every other month, where we discuss and approve amendments that researchers have submitted – these are completed via email correspondence. As with many Chair roles, I have to make sure the meetings are quorate and that meeting minutes are approved in a ratified in a timely manner to ensure that the researcher(s) receive a response in an allocated time frame.
On my committee we have approximately 12 members at present from a range of backgrounds, across England including dentists, public health consultants, midwives, teachers, and bioethicist. Some are actively working, some are retired.
Do you feel chairing an ethics committee has benefitted your career development and if so, how? What have you got out of it or gained from the experience?
I enjoy chairing the ethics committees and it has made me aware of the fantastic research that is occurring across England conducted and sponsored by a range of organisations, individuals and charities. It makes one realise how much expertise we have within the country and how much innovative research is being conducted.
Chairing an ethics committee has helped me when writing ethical applications, being mindful of what the committees are looking for and the process that occurs behind the scenes.
If others are interested in being part of an ethics committees to support their career development, how might they do that and get involved?
I would highly recommend others/researchers at any stage of their career to consider being a member of an ethics committee and if anyone is interested, please email Member Support at HRA member.support@hra.nhs.uk and it is important to note anyone can contact the HRA and ask to observe a committee meeting.