The Importance of Treating Research Ethics Committees With Respect

I'm very clear with our committee that being a part of our research ethics committee is a privilege. We meet people, researchers who are committed to improvements in patient care. I do not see our role as being a gatekeeper for research. That might be something to do with the R&D department, not us. It's certainly the theme of the HRA, and it's something I sign up for,. Therefore, I think we must always treat the researchers as colleagues with respect - whether they're the most junior person or the most senior professor. They're all treated the same!