
Institutional Ethics Committee of Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre (MPMMCC) & Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital (HBCH), Varanasi hereafter referred to as “IEC” was established to formalize and specify Institution's commitment to the promotion of high scientific and ethical standards in patient care, professional education, clinical research, and community interests.
Timely review of research proposals and the safeguarding of high ethical standards formed the basis of the IEC review process. These are essential for clinical research including student research, investigator initiated research, extramural, intramural funded research and multi- centric multinational research.
IEC, MPMMCC & HBCH was registered with National Ethics Committee Registry for Biomedical and Health Research, Department of Health Research (ICMR-DHR) and has renewed the registration no.EC/New/INST/2022/UP/0093 on 20 th June 2022 valid for 5 years issued under New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019.
IEC, MPMMCC & HBCH was also re-registered with Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (Now referred as “The Central Licencing Authority (CLA)” on 15th May 2026 vide registration no. ECR/1501/Inst/UP/2021/RR-26 valid for 5 years. (15-Jan-2026 to 14-Jan 2031)).
The IEC through its delegated sub-committees, functions independently for maintaining a consistent scientific and ethical framework for patient care and research, and for integrating ethical values into practice, policy relationships, and organizational activities.
The purpose of the IEC is to cultivate a pluralistic and democratic exchange of scientific and ethical values and concerns, and to critically analyze them while looking for opportunities to enhance the scientific and ethical integrity of Institution.
The mandate of the IEC essentially is to promote patient care through a scientific and ethical approach to research and education.
| 1 | Ensure the highest scientific and ethical standards of research at MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi. |
|---|---|
| 2 | Review and approve, proposals for clinical, basic or translational research projects (Intra and Extra mural) for scientific and ethical content |
| 3 | Improve ethical standards and issue guidelines on ethical dilemmas related to patient care services |
| 4 | To function as a forum to advise the administration in case of any ethical issues that may arise from patients, families or public |
| 5 | To maintain our leadership as a national standard of reference in all fields |
| 6 | To issue and periodically, update and revise SOP s and guidelines for effective functioning of IEC as and when necessary |
| 7 | Continuing education in clinical research bioethics and ethical aspects of clinical practice by seminars, workshops and interactive discussions for all categories of staff members including nursing and paramedical staff |
| 8 | To initiate and commission research studies on ethical aspects of practice in MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi. |
| The committee does not address or interfere in matters of administration, nor does the committee function as a grievance cell for staff members. | |
IEC, MPMMCC & HBCH will meet on last Friday of every month at 02:00 PM. (unless otherwise notified) in the Meeting Room, 1st Floor, D&T Block, Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre (MPMMCC).
The fees may be paid online via NEFT transfers, as a cheque or demand draft drawn in favor of “Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Varanasi.”
| IEC is multidisciplinary and multi-sectorial in composition. |
| IEC is composed of a minimum of 7, and maximum of 15 members. The members are selected so as to have an equitable representation of all specialties in MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi. It includes scientific and non-scientific members, clinicians and non - clinicians, a clinical pharmacologist, members of the community, a lawyer-expert in ethics, a social worker / layperson / patient representative to represent different points of view. |
| IEC shall consist of at least fifty percent of its members who are not affiliated to MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi. |
| The Committee will comprise of Chairperson, Co-Chairperson, Member Secretary, and other active members who represent an appropriate balance of professional, ethical, legal, cultural, educational, and community interests. |
| As far as possible, based on the requirement of research area such as oncology, HIV, genetic disorder, specific patient group (Cancer survivor), or NGO’s representatives may also be represented in the Ethics Committee. |
| The Committee should have adequate representation of age, gender, community, etc. to safeguard the interests and welfare of all sections of the community / society. Members are expected to be aware of local, social and cultural norms, as this is the most important social control mechanism. |
| The members should have various backgrounds to promote complete and adequate review of research activities commonly conducted by MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi. |
The IEC of MPMMCC & HBCH was re-constituted in October 2021. The tenure of the current committee is 2 years (1st October 2021-30th Sept 2023).
| Sr. No. | Name | Position | Affiliation | Affiliation Status | Gender | Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Gopeshwar Narayan Chairperson | Chairperson | Senior Professor, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi | Non-Affiliated | Male | Basic Scientist |
| 2 | Dr. Shampa Anupurba | Scientific Member | Senior Professor, Department of Microbiology, Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi | Non-Affiliated | Female | Medical Scientist |
| 3 | Dr. Shreyasi Ray | Member Secretary | Professor, Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Affiliated | Female | Surgeon |
| 4 | Dr. Yogendra Kumar Pandey | Member | Professor, Faculty of Education, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi | Non-Affiliated | Male | Lay person |
| 5 | Dr. Manushi Srivastava | Member | Professor, Community Medicine, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi | Non-Affiliated | Female | Social Scientist |
| 6 | Prof. Akhilendra Kumar Pandey | Member | Ex-Professor, Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi | Non-Affiliated | Male | Legal expert |
| 7 | Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Gupta | Member | Senior Professor, Dept. of General Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. | Non-Affiliated | Male | Surgeon |
| 8 | Dr. Kiran R. Giri | Member | Professor & Head, Dept. of Pharmacology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi | Non-Affiliated | Male | Basic Medical Scientist (Clinical Pharmacologist) |
| 9 | Dr. Bhavesh Poladia | Member | Senior Consultant and Head of Department of Medical Oncology,Thangam Cancer Centre,Namakkal, Tamilnadu and Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh | Non-Affiliated | Male | Medical Oncologist |
| 10 | Dr. Lincoln Pujari | Member | Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Affiliated | Male | Radiation Oncologist |
| 11 | Dr. Sambit Swarup Nanda | Member & Secretary, Data Safety Monitoring Unit (DSMU) | Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Affiliated | Male | Radiation Oncologist |
| 12 | Dr. Ipsita Dhal | Member | Associate Professor, Department of Onco-Pathology, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Affiliated | Female | Basic Medical Scientist (Pathologist) |
| 13 | Dr. Sashank Saini | Member | Associate Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Affiliated | Male | Surgical Oncologist |
| 14 | Dr. Anil Singh | Member | Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Affiliated | Male | Medical Oncologist |
| 15 | Dr. Shashank Tiwari | Member | Associate Professor, Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Affiliated | Male | Anestdetist |
The Data Safety Monitoring Unit (DSMU) is a unit of the IEC at Tata Memorial Centre, Varanasi (MPMMCC & HBCH) established in March 2021 and is responsible for monitoring of patient safety during the course of the study in a manner that ensures the scientific and ethical integrity of the study. The DSMU comprises of an intensivist, basic scientist, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists and radiation oncologists.
The Data Safety Monitoring Unit (DSMU) of MPMMCC & HBCH was re-constituted in October 2025 by the Member Secretary IEC, MPMMCC & HBCH. The members of the DSMU are trained in causality assessment as per WHO criteria and routinely implement the criteria in assessing the relatedness of adverse events
The composition of the current Data Safety Monitoring Unit (1st October 2025 to 30th September 2027) is given below:
| Sr. No. | Name | Position | Gender | Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Sambit Swarup Nanda Associate Professor Dept. of Radiation Oncology MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Secretary, DSMU | Male | Radiation Oncologist |
| 2 | Dr. Rahul Sarode Professor Dept. of Microbiology, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Joint Secretary, DSMU | Male | Microbiologist |
| 3 | Dr. Ninad Patil Assistant Professor Dept. of Radiation of Oncology MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Member | Male | Radiation Oncologist |
| 4 | Dr. Rajesh Bahadur Singh Associate Professor Dept. of Surgical Oncology, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Member | Male | Surgeon |
| 5 | Dr. Priyanka Asia Associate Professor Dept. of Biochemistry, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Member | Female | Basic Medical Scientist |
| 6 | Dr. Praveen L Assistant Professor Dept. of General Medicine, MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Member | Male | Physician |
| 7 | Dr. Souvik Mukherjee Medical Officer “E” Dept. of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Member | Male | Anaesthetist |
| 8 | Dr. Vasireddysivudu Sada Sivudu Assistant Professor Dept. of Surgical Oncology MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Member | Male | Surgical Oncologist |
| 9 | Dr. Parichay Singh Assistant Professor Dept. of Medical Oncology (Pediatric Oncology), MPMMCC & HBCH, Varanasi | Member | Male | Medical Oncologist |
The important responsibilities of the Data Safety Monitoring Unit DSMU committee are as follows:
Copyright © 2026 HBCH & MPMMCC, Varanasi Last Updated on : 17-September-2026