WSC Research Approval Process

Graduate students, residents, or/and other researchers who wish to perform research for, with or about World Spine Care (WSC) must seek approval from the WSC Research Committee.

Instructions and information for applicants

1. Contact one of the members of the WSC Research Committee (RC); if the member considers the project of interest to WSC the researcher must submit the following information to the WSC RC secretary who will distribute the material to WSC RC members:
   • short project outline (no more than two pages)
   • curriculum vitae (CV)
2. Once the WSC RC has reviewed the research project outline and CV, the applicant will be invited to give a 20-minute presentation via GoToMeeting. Questions and answers will follow. If approved, then a formal written protocol is requested from the applicant.
3. The protocol must be submitted to and approved by the applicant’s local (University-based) or independent Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee; the WSC research committee will ask for the IRB/Ethics Committee review and decision.
4. The WSC RC meets once per month; decisions regarding proposals are generally made within a month.
5. The WSC RC does not provide project funding.
6. The WSC RC is available for advice and has contacts in host countries. Ethical approvals from a host country can sometimes be lengthy and WSC contacts are valuable to facilitate the process.
7. Once the proposed project is approved by the WSC RC, a mentor from the WSC Research Committee is assigned to help facilitate, but not to conduct the research. Working in under served areas is exciting and rewarding, and a WSC mentor can help navigate challenges encountered in local contexts.

World Spine Research Committee:

Chair/ Co-Chair: Margareta Nordin (dmn2@nyu.edu), Eric Hurwitz (ehurwitz@hawaii.edu)

Secretary: O’Dane Brady (odanebrady@gmail.com)

Members: Stefan Eberspaecher (stefan@worldspinecare.org), Deborah Kopansky-Giles (dkgiles@cmcc.ca), Scott Haldeman (scott.haldeman@worldspinecare.org), Maria Hondras (mhondras@health.sdu.dk), Geoff Outerbridge (geoff.outerbridge@worldspinecare.org)

Ad hoc members: Michelle Boyle (michelle.projeny@gmail.com), Timothy Ford (tim.ford@worldspinecare.org), Jean Moss (jmoss@cmcc.ca)