FORUM FOR ETHICAL REVIEW COMMITTEESIN ASIA AND THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION
Rm. 412, Medical Engineering Bldg.
Ministry of Public Health, Thanon 1
Tiwanon Road, Nonthaburi, Thailand 11000
http://www.fercap-sidcer.org

Call for Abstracts
Memorandum To:

Researchers, Members of Ethics Committees, Academicians.
Clinicians, Students, etc.

From:Dr. Vichai Chokevivat
FERCAP Chairperson

The Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia & the Western Pacific will hold its
annual conference in Nongkhai, Thailand, on November 29-30, 2006. The theme ofthis year’s conference is Transparency and Accountability in Health Research:
Towards an Ethics of Responsibility in Human Subject Protection. In this regard,
we wish to formally extend to you our invitation to participate in the various
conference activities.
The conference will examine the various issues related to the roles and responsibilities
of various stakeholders in health research to develop transparency and accountability
towards better human subject protection. Through plenary and parallel sessions, group
discussions and country reports, the whole range of related issues will be exploredfrom a multi-stakeholder perspective.
The conference aims to achieve the following specific objectives:• To describe and compare the roles of and responsibilities of various researchstakeholders related to the creation of an ethical infrastructure that supports
accountability and transparency in the Asian and Western Pacific region;• To examine the impact of current international guidelines to make research
procedures more transparent;• To identify and share best practices to address problems and barriers in creating
accountable and transparent health research systems that protect human subjects
and research participants;• To consider best practices in research ethics against a background ofo clear-cut and relevant guidelines and policies related to research ethics;
o value sharing among various research stakeholders;o synergy among major international, regional and national health decision
makers;o effective working relationships among important research stakeholders andEthics Committees;• To develop a relevant Asian model of an ethical research infrastructure thatencourages accountable and transparent health research policies with national

health policy programs within the context of diverse Asian cultures and religions
alongside pluralistic socio-economic and political systems.
During the conference, there will be parallel sessions and we invite researchers,
members of research ethics committees, academics and clinicians to submit abstracts
for presentation that will highlight case studies, research experiences and concepts
related to research ethics. Each presentation should make specific recommendations
for guideline formulation related to the conference theme. Abstracts should be about
any of the following topics:
Parallel Session A: Informed Consent Issues
Parallel Session B: Conflict of Interest Issues
Abstracts should follow the format below and should be submitted to torres@fercapsidcer.org before September 15, 2005. The best abstracts will be selected by October
15, 2005 and full presentation should be submitted by October 31, 2006. Due tofunding limitations, scholarships may only be given to persons from developing
countries in the Asia-Pacific region whose abstracts are chosen for presentation.
Title:
Author: (with short cv)
Organizational Affiliation:
FERCAP Country:
Parallel Session Title:
Abstract: (200-300 words) To include a problem statement, objectives, methodology,results, conclusion, recommendations