The Ethics Advisory Group (EAG) was established to provide ethical guidance on The Union's work at national and international levels. Its role is to safeguard the dignity and rights of study participants and to promote ethical standards in lung health services.
The EAG reviews every protocol in which a Union staff member or consultant is the principal researcher, likely to be a co-author, or if The Union funds or sponsors the study. Through a formal application process, the EAG evaluates especially the societal value of the study, the methods (poor science is unethical), informed consent forms for studies involving more than record reviews, risks to participants, confidentiality of participant information, local community and researcher/health service involvement and local ethics committee approval.
Studies involving record reviews and existing data must also be reviewed by the EAG. Applications for studies of existing records are reviewed by the Chairperson, other applications by the full committee. If the EAG has concerns or suggestions about ethical issues these are communicated to the applicants. Approval is given when necessary revisions are made.
There is a protocol review fee of USD500, applied at the time of initial application. Fee waivers may be available, and should be discussed prior to submission of applications.
Ethics Advisory Group members
Prof Justin Denholm
Professor Justin Denholm is an infectious diseases physician based at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, and the Medical Director of the Victorian Tuberculosis Program.
His work includes clinical and public health management of TB and other infectious diseases, as well as research into a variety of aspects of TB relating to ethics, epidemiology, clinical medicine and public health. Justin has an active research program in ethical issues related to TB in society, including public health policy, screening programs and isolation.
Justin has been a member of the Ethics Advisory Group since 2012 and Chair since 2018.
Dr Razia Fatima
Dr Razia Fatima is currently the Chief of Research & Surveillance at The Common Unit to Manage TB, AIDS and Malaria Pakistan with 19 years of diverse public health experience.
She is a medical doctor, has a PhD in Public Health and M.Sc. Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK. She had led the international Structured Operational Research Training Initiative in Pakistan since 2016. She has published approximately 65 research papers in international peer reviewed journals.
Currently Chair of the TB Section of The Union and Vice Chair of the Ethics Advisory Group.
Dr Sharon Nisha Biribo
Ms. Sharon Biribo is a Lecturer at the Umanand Prasad School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Fiji. Her work includes teaching within the MBBS, Bachelor of Medical and Health Sciences, Bachelor of Public Health Programmes and supporting research and capacity development at the School and local Health Research Ethics Committees.
Sharon teaches courses in Clinical Microbiology, Infectious Disease Surveillance & Outbreak investigations, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Research. She is actively involved in national and regional Research Capacity Building activities and is passionate about improving Research Ethics Approvals processes in Pacific Island Countries.
Sharon has been a member of the EAG since 2022.
Dr Lynette Keneilwe Mabote Eyde
Lynette Keneilwe Mabote Eyde has over 15 years of experience designing macro- and micro-level human rights and gender-affirming health systems and enabling environments for communicable and non-communicable diseases in Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia. She is the global Advocacy Advisor for the Treatment Action Group
Lynette has an extensive quantitative and qualitative research background in areas of Intellectual Property Rights-barriers, new technologies, including long-acting technologies, biologics and the use of technologies. She is part of the Africa Diagnostics Network aimed at mobilising local production for point-of-care diagnostics.
Lynette represents NGOs on the Unitaid Board. She is a Taskforce member of the Global Oxygen Alliance and on the Advisory Committee of the "Global Health Multi-stakeholder Dialogue: From Hiroshima to Puglia".
Dr Alwyn Mwinga
Dr Alwyn Mwinga is a physician with a special interest in TB, HIV, and bioethics. Alwyn served a member of the University of Zambia Ethics Committee for 10 years and is currently a member of the Research for Ethical Data Science in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Alwyn is currently a member of the Board of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative as a patient representative. She served as Associate Editor for the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases for 10 years.
Alwyn has served as external reviewer for research proposals with various international organisations, a member of the Data Safety Monitoring Committee and Trial Steering Committees for several clinical trials and as a member of TDR Scientific Working Group for Research Capacity Strengthening and Knowledge Management.
Alwyn is the Chairperson for the Ministry of Health’s Tuberculosis Technical Working Group. She is the Chief Executive Officer for Zambart, an independent research organization based in Zambia.
Mr Apurva Narain
Apurva Narain is an independent consultant in international development, with a focus on public health, ethics and ecology.
He has multidisciplinary interests and around 30 years of combined experience in the social, corporate and academic sectors. A member of the Ethics Advisory Group since 2012, Apurva co-started its regional education outreach and was the Vice-Chair during 2018-21.
He was also a consultant with The Union South-East Asia Office during 2009-13 in the areas of strategy and communications. He is based in New Delhi.
Prof Nesri Padayatchi
Professor Nesri Padayatchi is a scientist, clinician and epidemiologist in Durban, South Africa at CAPRISA, and is affiliated with the Department of Community Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Nelson Mandela School of Medicine.
Nesri has over 35 years clinical and research experience in quantitative and qualitative HIV-TB and clinical trials, both self-initiated and international network related. She has 142 publications in peer-reviewed journals including the NEJM and Lancet.
Nesri serves on various Scientific Advisory Boards and Data Safety Monitoring Boards, and has a particular interest in mentoring the next generation of scientists.
Dr Karuna D Sagili
Dr Karuna D Sagili is a public health researcher based in New Delhi, India. Karuna previously served The Union South East Asia (USEA) Office for over 11 years in various capacities, including being Chair of the Technical Advisory Group and leading the development of USEA’s five-year organisational strategy.
Karuna's focus is on health system strengthening for infectious diseases and neglected tropical diseases. She is an expert in Operational Research and Systematic Reviews. She has published about 60 scientific research publications in international and national peer reviewed journals. Her research on stigma contributed to the National End TB Stigma Strategy adopted by the National TB Elimination Program, whose development she also supported as a technical working group member.
Karuna has been associated with the EAG since 2013.
Dr Diego Steven Silva
Dr Diego Silva is a Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at Sydney Health Ethics and the School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia.
His research centres on public health ethics, particularly the application of political theory in the context of infectious diseases and health security, e.g. tuberculosis, COVID-19 and antimicrobial resistance.
Diego has been a member of the EAG since 2022.