Health Translation Queensland, in collaboration with Conference Convenor Adjunct Professor Gordon McGurk and the conference organising team, are delighted to invite you to join the 6th Australian & New Zealand Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) Conference, which has extended its reach to New Zealand this year.
This well established free online conference will run across 3 full days from 25 - 27 November 2025 and will bring together professionals from around Australia, New Zealand and beyond to advance the field of human research ethics. The conference is dedicated to fostering dialogue, sharing knowledge and promoting best practices in the ethical conduct of human research.
Whether you are a committee member, HREC/HDEC Chair, professional staff or researcher, this conference offers a unique opportunity to engage with leading voices and explore critical issues that shape research ethics.
Over the course of the 3-day conference, you will have the chance to participate in a variety of online sessions, including keynote addresses, workshops and online discussion panels, aimed at enhancing your practical and ethical application of your skills and knowledge.
Delivered through live Zoom webinars and post-conference recordings, the conference is designed to maximise attendee engagement and ensure broad access to all content.
The conference will be held in the AEST-Queensland (Brisbane) time zone (GMT+10). Given the varying territories, states and New Zealand time zones we will try to accommodate these factors into our planning.
+++ NEW THIS YEAR: 2x FREE PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS ON MONDAY 24 NOVEMBER - For details and registration links, please see program below. +++
+++ Provide your feedback on this year's HREC Conference. Thank you for taking our brief survey! +++
“Agentic AI - Its impact on health & ethics" - Tuesday 25 November, 10:30am-11:15am (AEST-QLD)
“The ethics of intentional infection research" - Wednesday 26 November, 8:30am-9:15am (AEST-QLD)
“Rob Loblay Oration" - Thursday 27 November, 3:15pm-3:45pm (AEST-QLD)
| 11:00 - 13:00
AEST-QLD |
National Ethics and Governance Coordinators Community of Practice
|
| 14:00 - 16:00 AEST-QLD | Paediatric Research
|
| (Tuesday's Zoom link: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/86186692087)Conference openingWelcome Acknowledgement of Country Opening remarks |
| 10:30 - 11:15 AEST-QLD | PlenaryAgentic AI – Its impact on health & ethics Aaron Zamykal, Actualisation |
| 11:15 - 12:30 AEST-QLD | Technology & AIWould we want generative artificial intelligence in institutional review boards? Joel Seah, NUS Singapore AI = All In? How can HRECs address the ‘new research normal’? Professor Michael Martin, Australian National University, Australian Health Ethics Committee Human-in-the-loop: balancing innovation and accountability in law enforcement use of AI Andrew Chen, New Zealand Police Thoughts from the chair and discussion Associate Prof Tam Nguyen, Monash Health |
| 12:40 - 13:55 AEST-QLD | Consent & consent formsSocial media and ethics review: identifying potential scandals & protecting participants Professor Paula Swatman, Bellberry Can 16- and 17-year-olds give consent to participate in research without parental consent? Professor Richard Gray, La Trobe University The InFormed Project Dr Lisa Eckstein & James Cockayne, CT:IQ & NSW Ministry of Health |
| 14:05 - 15:30 AEST-QLD | Data management
Using personal information in research: some recent legal cases Creepy or just complex? Making ethical decisions in a messy world New horizons: a draft governance framework for synthetic health data in Australia
Embedding Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles across organisational research practice: practical strategies for ethical governance and community benefit
But who owns the data? A case study from the evolving digital health landscape
|
| 15:40 - 16:55 AEST-QLD | Operationalisation & quality assuranceBrief overview of changes to National Statement Jeremy Kenner, NHMRC Ethics of advisingAssociate Professor Monique Jonas, University of Auckland Revisiting the 2024 Declaration of Helsinki: critiques and implications for human research ethics review Dr Ehsan Shamsi Gooshki, Monash Bioethics Centre Crossing the line: the contested space between quality and research Rachel Kerr, Monash University |
08:30 - 09:15
AEST-QLD | (Wednesday's Zoom link: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/89659482189)PlenaryThe ethics of intentional infection research Professor Seema Shah, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, USA |
| 09:15 - 09:55 AEST-QLD | Clinical trials and changing times - part 1
Trial design – adaptive platform trials What can HRECs learn from the ShED project: waivers, secondary data usage, exemptions and HREC quality assurance |
| 10:00 - 11:30 AEST-QLD | Privacy
|
| 11:45 - 12:45 AEST-QLD | (Zoom link Wednesday parallel session 1: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/89659482189)Abstract session: Quality assurance [parallel session 1]Dr Sharon Schembri, James Cook University Applying a translational ethics model to facilitate rigorous, high-quality, postgraduate health services research Dr Robyn Taylor, South Western Sydney Local Health District The Victorian Ethics Network: building collaboration and capacity in human research ethics Dr Peter Burke, RMIT University What needs to change to ensure LGBTQ+ people are included in cancer clinical trials? Celine Daignault, The University of Sydney |
| 11:45 - 13:00 AEST-QLD | (Zoom link Wednesday parallel session 2: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/85496509841)Abstract session: Quality assurance [parallel session 2]
Sharing clinical research results with Australian participants Chong Xue Jun Jaylynn, NHG Health, Singapore Redesigning Queensland Health’s approach to translational innovation – shining a light on improvement, innovation, evaluation and audit activities Beth Wray, Clinical Excellence Queensland Lived experience people in research design and conductLisa Treverrow, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Research adequacy, AI, and the creation of mHealth Apps Dr Dana Wensley, University of Auckland |
| 13:00 - 14:30 AEST-QLD | Psychedelic drugs in research
ACT HREC PAT Authorised Prescriber Update and IssuesProfessor Nick Glasgow, Australian National University A new era for psychedelic-assisted therapy trials: safety, ethics, and progress Professor Susan Rossell & Associate Professor Vanessa Beesley, QIMR Berghofer Treatment using psychedelics – practical and ethical challenges and solutions |
| 14:40 - 15:35 AEST-QLD | Clinical trials and changing times - part 2
Charter for healthy volunteer trials Francois Bompart, VOLRETHICS Association, France Ethics & governance review of adaptive platform trials: practical guidance for HRECs and research officers Sophie Gatenby, RCH Melbourne Facilitators and barriers to the clinical trial recruitment of older people: a qualitative study Sue Markham, University of Sydney |
| 15:40 - 16:40 AEST-QLD | HREC member panel discussion
Role and challenges for HREC members |
| 08:00 - 09:20 AEST-QLD | (Thursday's Zoom link: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/81760785077)Regulation & legislation
Building a new framework for research tissue regulation in Australia: the Australian Law Reform Commission’s proposals for reform Michael Swarbrick, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing TGA update on psychedelic assisted therapy Professor Robyn Langham, Therapeutic Goods Administration TGA principles to practice: governance, regulation and compliance for AI-enabled human research Bridgette Basnayt, University of Southern Queensland Chair discussion & question time |
| 09:30 - 11:15 AEST-QLD | Operationalisation & quality assurance
The canReview Project Research our way: exploring the ethics governance experiences and preferences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health organisations and HRECs of Queensland [unrecorded session] |
| 11:30 - 13:00 AEST-QLD | Community-minded research
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) Associate Professor Adam Becker, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Pre-ethics: Relational groundwork for ethical encounters [unrecorded session] Ethical gaps in the inclusion of people with dementia in self-advocacy: beyond research protocols “Do we need ethics for that?” A provocation from a project to grow James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships in Australia Involving people with disability as consumer research partners |
| 13:15 - 14:15 AEST-QLD | (Zoom link Thursday parallel session 1: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/81760785077)Abstract session: clinical trials and consent [parallel session 1]
Advancing health equity in randomised controlled trials: a collaborative implementation science approach Mark Liu, The University of Queensland The role of familial carers in palliative care for terminal cancer: the ethics of autoethnography Consent-to-continue in intensive care clinical trials: a mixed-methods scoping review and recommendation for reporting [unrecorded session] Enabling decentralised clinical trials in NSW and ACT |
| 13:15 - 14:15 AEST-QLD | (Zoom link Thursday parallel session 2: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/88359989445)Abstract session: clinical trials and consent [parallel session 2]
Inclusivity in informed consent |
| 14:15 - 15:15 AEST-QLD | HREC chair debate
Panellists: |
| 15:15 - 16:15 AEST-QLD | Conference closing remarksAssociate Professor Stephen Adelstein, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital | Central Sydney Immunopathology Laboratory | NSW Health Pathology | RPA Institute for Academic Medicine | University of Sydney Rob Loblay Award Presented by Associate Professor Suzie Ferrie, Sydney Local Health Department |
The meeting time are in AEST-QLD
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Recordings of previous conferences can be found here.
Once you have registered, you will receive an email 1 week, 2 days and 30 minutes before the conference starts. A zoom link to each day of the conference will be provided.
The conference can be watched on any device, all you need is the internet.
If you missed a session, presentations will be made as a resource after the meeting for those presenters who have agreed.
You can find previous conference resources on our HREC Conference webpage.
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