Office of Research

Submit your completed Research Intake Form to research.office@wrh.on.ca.

All-new research projects to be conducted at Windsor Regional Hospital require a feasibility review by the Office of Research via the submission of a Research Intake Form prior to submission of an ethics application to any Research Ethics Board, including WRH REB. You may also submit your draft REB application forms or a copy of your study protocol in place of the Research Intake Form to initiate the review. This intake process ensures the project can be supported with the resources available at WRH while also facilitating any project start-up from administrative and regulatory support through to full study support. Our feasibility review embeds into the process the completion of the Departmental Impact review(s) which are required for your WRH REB application. All research projects conducted at WRH must also include a WRH Site Investigator (i.e. clinical staff investigator) who will be responsible for the oversight of the research project. Once this Research Intake review is complete and approved, the project can be submitted for REB review. View the Research Intake Process flowchart below.

To submit a research project to WRH Research Ethics Board for approval, you must first complete the Research Intake process with the Office of Research. Once complete, the OoR will provide guidance and administrative review of your REB application to ensure that you have completed all the necessary documents with supporting attachments. We’ll also facilitate the completion of the Departmental Impact reviews that are required for your REB submission. 

For research projects that require both WRH REB and UWindsor REB approval, the WRH REB application forms and documents may be submitted to UWindsor REB.

You can find all WRH REB application documents on the WRH Research Ethics page.

For REB applications to Central REBs: WRH is a participating site for REB applications to Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO) and Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board (OCREB). To submit an application to CTO, you must first receive approval from WRH REB to use a delegated REB for the project. This approval is facilitated by the Office of Research. Once Research Intake and WRH REB approval are complete, applications submitted to CTO or OCREB will require sign-off in CTO Stream by both the Office of Research and WRH's Institutional Representative. You can find the WRH's SRERS Administration form on CTO's Participating Sites webpage. Email research.office@wrh.on.ca with your study protocol and provincial CTO approval to initiate the review process. 

Contracts related to research projects at WRH that require an institutional signature (i.e. data transfer agreements, confidential disclosure agreements, clinical trial agreements), should be submitted to the Office of Research to facilitate legal review and appropriate institutional sign-off. Drafted contracts should be submitted, along with any referenced documents attached, to research.office@wrh.on.ca. We also facilitate the drafting of contract templates to be shared with external collaborators. Please contact us with the details required for the contract and we’ll coordinate the work with the legal team.

WRH researchers are encouraged to apply for research funding opportunities for which they are eligible. Prior to submitting a funding application, the proposed research project should undergo a feasibility review via the Research Intake form to ensure that the project as proposed in the funding application is feasible within WRH resources and within the budget proposed. Submit a Research Intake form to research.office@wrh.on.ca with a copy of the funding opportunity guidelines and your draft application.

Through our partnerships with WE-SPARK Health Institute and Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - Windsor Campus, there are funding programs targeted to WRH researchers:

• WE-SPARK Incentive Grant Program - This grant for up to $20,000 is available to WRH researchers who are WE-SPARK core members to support the resubmission of recently unsuccessful national/international funding applications in subsequent application rounds. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Sign up to be a member of WE-SPARK.
• WE-SPARK Igniting Discovery Grants Program - This grant provides up to $20,000 in seed funding to promote the development of early-stage innovative health research and health education projects. To hold the grant at WRH, the WRH applicant must be a WE-SPARK core member and the Principal Applicant. Sign up to be a member of WE-SPARK.
• Schulich-UWindsor Opportunities for Research Excellence Program (SWORP) - The SWORP program supports a $5,000 stipend for an undergraduate medical education student in first or second year at the Windsor Campus of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry to participate in a research project under the supervision of a University of Windsor faculty member. WE-SPARK will facilitate obtaining faculty appointments for WRH clinicians interested in working with a SWORP student. Find more information on the SWORP process at WE-SPARK.

All research grants/funding awarded must flow through WRH via the Office of Research. Submit your grant/funding award letter and original funding application to research.office@wrh.on.ca.

Below are general on-boarding steps for students who are interested in becoming involved in research at Windsor Regional Hospital, either for non-paid academic placement or volunteer experience. (Note: students completing paid co-op placements are to be on-boarded through Human Resources).

·         Step 1: Students are responsible for finding a WRH Site Investigator (i.e. clinician) who is able to supervise them and the prospective research project at WRH. Students must also have appropriate academic supervision of their research project at their home institution, where applicable.

·         Step 2: Students must inform Office of Research once WRH Site Investigator and research project are confirmed. Office of Research then forwards student contact information to either Student Registrar (academic placement students) or Volunteer Services Manager (student volunteers) to initiate onboarding process.

·         Step 3: Student Registrar/Volunteer Services Manager contacts students to distribute on-boarding paperwork and discuss the registration requirements and guidelines, including health screenings, record checks, corporate and research-specific training. Students must complete online WRH Research Training Submission form for review by Office of Research using the following link: link coming soon!

·         Step 4: Once cleared to start placement, Student Registrar/Volunteer Services Manager submits access requests on students’ behalf. Student must visit Student Registrar/Volunteer Services Manager in person to obtain ID badge, proximity cards, or Volunteer Uniform prior to meeting with the on-site supervisor.

·         Step 5 – Research Ethics Board Approval:

§New projects: Students participating in a new research project must submit an Office of Research Intake Review Form or a draft of the full REB submission package for review by the Office of Research prior to submission to WRH REB. The Office of Research will review project feasibility, facilitate departmental impact reviews (if applicable), and indicate when submission to REB is appropriate. If you are a student enrolled at the University of Windsor, and the research project is part of your degree program, you must connect with the UWindsor Office of Research Ethics prior to submitting a Research Intake form or REB application at WRH to confirm any necessary UWindsor steps.

§Existing WRH REB approved projects: Students completing a clinical placement at Windsor Regional Hospital who are interested in participating in an ongoing research project as part of their placement must be included in the existing research ethics application via an amendment request prior to engaging in the research.

§Visit the WRH Research Ethics page for more details, including submission forms.

For more information on student placements at WRH visit the Volunteer and Student Services page.

Connie Tomalty, Student Registrar 

519-254-5577, ext. 52563

Connie.Tomalty@wrh.on.ca

Volunteer Contact 

Metropolitan Campus: (519) 254-5577 ext. 52563

Ouellette Campus: (519) 254-5577 ext. 33673

volunteer@wrh.on.ca

All new clinical trials at WRH, whether sponsor initiated or investigator-initiated, must be reviewed for feasibility through the Research Start-Up Process listed above. The Office of Research can act as liaison with the sponsor/investigator to facilitate the completion of any required documents such as the confidentiality agreement and site feasibility questionnaires. We’ll meet with you and the prospective department to review the protocol, discuss available resources for the trial, and clinical appropriateness for our patient population. If the trial is endorsed to move forward, we'll continue to act as a liaison with the sponsor/investigator to coordinate site initiation steps, including REB submission.

WE-SPARK Health Institute has implemented an Igniting Connections Collaboration Platform that connects researchers with each other based on the type of request and expertise sought. You can submit a request online and they will connect you with potential researchers in Windsor-Essex, including those at WRH. We encourage all WRH researchers to become members of WE-SPARK to broaden the potential connections (and benefit from the perks of membership like access to grant funding!).

WRH REB: If your research project will be completed accessing data from WRH (i.e. patient chart, staff surveys etc), or any part of the research will take place at WRH, you'll submit your ethics application to Windsor Regional Hospital’s Research Ethics Board. If you have an affiliation with another institution, you’ll also need to obtain REB approval from their local REB. For faculty/students at UWindsor, WRH REB applications may be submitted to UWindsor REB.

University of Windsor REB: If you are a clinician and your research will be completed at your private practice in Windsor-Essex, using only data from your practice’s charts, you'll submit your ethics application to UWindsor as a community partner. Find more on the UWindsor Office of Research Ethics webpage.