Professor Samar Aoun is stepping down as the WA Country Health Service’s (WACHS) Human Research Ethics Committee Chair after more than 20 years of voluntary service.
Since joining the small, Bunbury Health Service Ethics Committee as Chair in 1994, Professor Aoun grew this group into an influential WACHS-wide committee overseeing one of the most critical areas of WACHS business.
WACHS CEO Jeff Moffett said Professor Aoun had shown an exceptionally high standard of stewardship over her two decades at the helm.
The WACHS HREC is an integral committee with a strong commitment to rural and remote health research. Volunteers meet monthly to review research ethics applications involving WACHS participants including patients, their carers and staff (including their data).
The HREC aims to protect the welfare and rights of research participants and ensure research protocols comply with the ethical standards established by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Under the dedicated leadership of Professor Aoun, the WACHS HREC has reviewed approximately 30 to 40 research ethics applications per year.
"My sincere thanks and appreciation go to Professor Aoun," Mr Moffett said.