Dr John Bull is retiring as a Research Ethics Committee (REC) member after almost 40 years’ service.
John became involved in ethics in the 1980s before the formal establishment of the research ethics committee service and the creation of the Health Research Authority.
He worked as a consultant physician at Worthing Hospital for 27 years and it was there that he first joined an ethics committee.
His last Research Ethics Committee role was as a member of the Brighton and Sussex Research Ethics Committee, where he had been vice-Chair.
John spoke to us about how he became involved in research ethics, what he enjoyed about being a REC member and what needs to change.
John's REC role in numbers
During his time on the Brighton and Sussex REC, John has:
- taken part in 373 meetings (full and subcommittee meetings)
- reviewed over 600 full studies.
How did you become interested in research ethics?
I had fantastic parents who encouraged me and my siblings to be adventurous, and I had a charmed childhood during the 1950s. We had a large amount of freedom.
After studying Latin, Greek and ancient history at secondary school, I successfully applied to read law at Cambridge University.
Before I started my law degree, I tried to get on Voluntary Overseas Services but was rejected and with a lot of help, and after working my passage as a supernumerary deckhand, I went to Sierra Leone in 1962. I taught in a secondary school for a year, everything except French.
During the Easter holidays, I was very unwell and was looked after in the "local" hospital (50 miles away). I had always been interested in medicine, but I think this experience furthered my interest. I also travelled to Ghana and toured the country.
I came back to the UK in 1963 and began my law degree.
Halfway through my law degree I said to my father I want to be a doctor, and he very kindly paid for my studies.
While I was a medical student, I was President of The London Medical Group, "A student group for the study of issues raised through the practice of medicine, which also concerned other disciplines", so a lot of that was ethics in various guises. We organised lectures in the London medical schools from philosophers, theologians, psychologists and physicians and surgeons who had a particular ethical bent. The Journal of Medical Ethics grew out of it.
I worked as a junior doctor in London, Salisbury and Birmingham and as a consultant physician at Worthing Hospital.
By the time I became a consultant physician I had a lot of experience, and I was interested in a lot of things, and so I got interested in research and research ethics.
My wife says I’m interested in everything. I think my curious mind, charmed childhood and adventurous travels in my early adulthood is what led me on this journey.
How did you first become involved in the Research Ethics Service?
I became involved in research ethics in the 1980s when I was working as a consultant physician at Worthing Hospital, which predates the establishment of the Research Ethics Service and the Health Research Authority. At the time, we had doctors being paid to run trials ad hoc and we set up a committee to manage the process around that and my involvement developed from there. The committee started off as the Worthing Committee and then the West Sussex Committee then the Brighton West Committee and at last the Brighton and Sussex Research Ethics Committee! I’ve been a member and vice chair at various times.
What have you enjoyed about being a REC member?
I’ve always found the people on our REC committee very polite and personable and able to disagree amicably. No one is a REC member because they are paid nor because they are appointed by some outside body. They are there because they want to do it.
We’ve had some brilliant lay people who made some very important points from a lay perspective which nobody else had thought of. I think that is why a committee is needed rather than one “all-seeing” expert.
What are your highlights from the 38 years?
Covid-19 was a very interesting time. We had to be very quick. One very memorable experience is when the government asked researchers to conduct a Covid-19 study on a Friday and by the following Wednesday they had the proposal ready for review and 40 hospitals had already agreed to take part.
What do you think needs to change?
I think it would really help if research teams were advised to check the participant information sheets with someone who has no involvement in the study to check the language is accessible.
The average reading age in the UK is 9 and if you want to encourage greater participation in research the participant information needs to be written in a way that is accessible to everyone. This should include using short words, short sentences, active rather than passive mood, friendly language and no jargon.
Thank you to John from the HRA
Louise Braley, Head of Approvals Support and Improvement at the HRAI would like to express my deep thanks to Dr John Bull for his dedication and commitment to research ethics.
John’s huge experience, knowledge and expertise has been a great support to the research ethics service, the HRA and our REC members.
All of our REC members, like John, are volunteers and they make an amazing contribution to supporting health research and facilitating life changing treatments and care.
Carrie Ridley, Chair of the Brighton and Sussex RECOn behalf of the London, Brighton and Sussex REC (past and present) I would like to thank John for his extraordinary contribution to the Research Ethics Service.
As a Committee Member (and Vice-Chair), John was kind, friendly and brought a charming sense of humour and wit to the meetings. He had the unique ability to translate complex medical jargon into real-world language during the meetings for the benefit of members. This allowed an accessible discussion which everyone could contribute to and learn from.
On a personal level, I am immensely grateful for all of his support, guidance and mentorship over the years. I have learnt so much from him.