Under the auspices of Dr. Abdelaziz Konsowa, President of Alexandria University, the Higher Institute of Public Health organized a symposium yesterday entitled "Governance of Clinical and Field Research Ethics." The symposium was attended by Dr. Heba El-Qadi, Dean of the Higher Institute of Public Health; Dr. Zeinab Shata, Vice Dean of the Institute for Community Service and Environmental Development; Dr. Tamer Hafnawy, Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine and Secretary of the Supreme Council for Clinical Medical Research Ethics; Dr. Maha Ghanem, Professor of Forensic Medicine and Member of the Supreme Council for Clinical Medical Research Ethics; Dr. Jihan Goifel, Assistant President of the University for International Branches Affairs; Dr. Dina El-Gayar, Director of the Project Management Unit at the University; Dr. Abdel Moneim Fawzy, President of the Alexandria Doctors Syndicate; Dr. Mohamed Ansi El-Shafei, President of the Alexandria Pharmacists Syndicate; and a group of faculty members, specialists, and researchers from the Institute.

In her speech, Dr. Heba El-Qadi emphasized the importance of the symposium's topic in discussing the ethics of scientific research, especially in this era of accelerating discoveries and competing institutions for leadership. She emphasized that ethical conscience remains the true compass for researchers. She emphasized the importance of obtaining patient consent before conducting research, the confidentiality of patient data, and the right to withdraw without harm, noting that the researcher becomes responsible for protecting this privacy. She added that this symposium represents a good opportunity to exchange experiences and raise awareness of the importance of adhering to ethical standards, emphasizing that scientific progress is not measured solely by the results we achieve, but also by the method by which we arrive at those results.

In his speech, Dr. Tamer Hafnawy discussed the duties of the Supreme Council for Clinical Research Ethics, Law No. 214 of 2020 regulating clinical research and its executive regulations No. 927 of 2022. He also discussed the council's formation and organizational structure, its mission, which is to promote ethical standards in clinical research in Egypt, protect the rights and dignity of research participants, and promote a culture of integrity, transparency, and accountability through oversight. He also addressed the council's values ​​of confidentiality, privacy, professionalism, governance, protection, security, and non-exploitation. He also addressed the council's duties, which include establishing a research database, surveying stakeholders, periodic review, inspection, complaints, and final review of research plans. He also addressed pre-clinical research related to humans and laboratory animals, and the Ethics Committee for the Use of Laboratory Animals in Research.

Dr. Maha Ghanem spoke about the Ethics Guide for the Care and Use of Experimental Animals in Education and Scientific Research, the importance of institutional committees, the importance of respecting human participants in research, the importance of following up on research implementation after ethical review, and the importance of Clinical Regulation No. 214 of 2020 and its Executive Regulations No. 927 of 2022.