IRB protocol for "Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity”
Dear London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,
Would it be possible to please release the IRB protocol relating to the MRC Gambia-associated research published by A.R. Last et al in 2018 entitled "Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity" (indexed in PubMed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29482619/) ? If so, please release the protocol including informed consent form/process, and any other attachments or supporting documents.
Yours faithfully,
Vera Wilde
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Re: Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for "Population-based
analysis of
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. We will process your request as soon as possible and
will respond within 20 working days.
Information on how we process Freedom of Information requests is available
on the LSHTM website at :
[1]https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/organisa...
We may need to contact you again if we require further information from
you in order to process your request.
We will also contact you as soon as possible if we determine that a fee
will be payable for reprographics costs (such as photocopying or printing)
or postage costs associated with your request.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by reply to this email if you have
any questions relating to your request.
Regards,
Freedom of Information team
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Dear Sir or Madam,
Just checking in again about this FOI request I submitted over four weeks ago now. By law, you should normally have responded promptly and by 2 June.
At your convenience, would you please let me know the status of the request? I would like to confirm it is in process and obtain an estimated completion date if possible.
Thanks and best regards,
Vera Wilde
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Hi
Re: Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for "Population-based
analysis of
Dear Vera,
Many apologies for this delay. As the project was conducted in Guinea
Bissau rather than Ghana, it took us some more time than anticipated to
identify the project. This has been done. As the corresponding protocol
predates our current system, it needs to be located (it will probably be a
physical copy that we will scan for you, as soon as a member of either the
research or our research governance teams is in the corresponding office
in the next few days), in all events before the maximum 40 day deadline.
Once again, my apologies.
Best regards,
Alex Hollander, on behalf of the Information Compliance team.
School staff and students can visit the [1]ServiceDesk Portal and
[2]update their call under My Requests.
Alternatively, you can reply to this email or phone us quoting reference
2105-0247
LSHTM ServiceDesk
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Dear Alex,
Thanks for the update and estimated completion time. I sincerely appreciate your help, and look forward to the release.
Many thanks and best regards,
Vera
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Re: Re: Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for
"Population-based analysis
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. We will process your request as soon as possible and
will respond within 20 working days.
Information on how we process Freedom of Information requests is available
on the LSHTM website at :
[1]https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/organisa...
We may need to contact you again if we require further information from
you in order to process your request.
We will also contact you as soon as possible if we determine that a fee
will be payable for reprographics costs (such as photocopying or printing)
or postage costs associated with your request.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by reply to this email if you have
any questions relating to your request.
Regards,
Freedom of Information team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK | [2]www.lshtm.ac.uk
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Dear LSHTM Servicedesk,
Just checking in again about this FOI request I submitted on 4 May. By law, you should normally have responded promptly and by 2 June. On 8 June, you indicated a physical copy of the requested protocol would need to be located and anticipated that would be done in the next few days.
At your convenience, would you please let me know the status of the request?
Thanks and best regards,
Vera Wilde
Dear London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine FOI contact,
Thank you for working on my request for “Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity” IRB protocol documents.
What is the status of the request? Can you please let me know when I can expect to receive the records?
On May 4, I requested the IRB protocol relating to the MRC Gambia-associated research published by A.R. Last et al in 2018 entitled "Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity" (indexed in PubMed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29482619/), including informed consent form/process, and any other attachments or supporting documents. I received an acknowledgment of the request on the same day.
On June 3, I requested a status update. On June 8, Alex Hollander replied on behalf of the Information Compliance team. He explained the delay, and said the requested documents were expected to be scanned in the next few days.
On July 1, I requested a status update. I did not receive a reply.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...
I sincerely appreciate your help updating the status of this request.
Thanks and best regards,
Vera Wilde
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Re: Re: Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for
"Population-based analysis
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. We will process your request as soon as possible and
will respond within 20 working days.
Information on how we process Freedom of Information requests is available
on the LSHTM website at :
[1]https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/organisa...
We may need to contact you again if we require further information from
you in order to process your request.
We will also contact you as soon as possible if we determine that a fee
will be payable for reprographics costs (such as photocopying or printing)
or postage costs associated with your request.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by reply to this email if you have
any questions relating to your request.
Regards,
Freedom of Information team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK | [2]www.lshtm.ac.uk
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Dear London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's handling of my FOI request "IRB protocol for 'Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity.' "
On May 4, I requested the IRB protocol relating to the MRC Gambia-associated research published by A.R. Last et al in 2018 entitled "Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity" (indexed in PubMed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29482619/), including informed consent form/process, and any other attachments or supporting documents. I received an automatic acknowledgment of the request on the same day.
On June 3, I requested a status update. On June 8, Alex Hollander replied on behalf of the Information Compliance team. He explained the delay, and said the requested documents were expected to be scanned in the next few days.
On July 1, I requested a status update. I received an automatic acknowledgment but no substantive reply.
On August 27, I requested a status update in connection with the above request summary. Again I received an automatic acknowledgment but no substantive reply.
A full history of this FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...
By law, under all circumstances, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine should have responded to this FOI request by now. I remain grateful for the institution's assistance in obtaining the requested records, and curious about the status of the request and its expected completion date.
Thanks and best regards,
Vera Wilde
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Hi
Re: Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for "Population-based
analysis of
Dear Vera,
I can only imagine your frustration on this matter, with which I would
fully agree. I have received confirmation from the researcher that the
information is held in our Keppel Street Building.
This delay is in all ways completely unacceptable as a delay and I fully
acknowledge it. I am waiting for confirmation on a date . I really hope
the information will still be useful to you when it's available.
If discussing the meantime could be in any way of help, please do not
hesitate to get in touch with me directly on [email address] or
on 07426857111.
All the best,
Alex
School staff and students can visit the [1]ServiceDesk Portal and
[2]update their call under My Requests.
Alternatively, you can reply to this email or phone us quoting reference
2105-0247
LSHTM ServiceDesk
[3]servicedesk.lshtm.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7927 2186
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK | +44 (0)20 7636 8636 |
[4]www.lshtm.ac.uk
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Dear Alex,
Thanks for your kind and swift response, and for letting me know the researcher confirmed where the information is held. I look forward to learning more when the information becomes available.
Thanks and best,
Vera
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Re: Re: Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for
"Population-based analysis
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. We will process your request as soon as possible and
will respond within 20 working days.
Information on how we process Freedom of Information requests is available
on the LSHTM website at :
[1]https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/organisa...
We may need to contact you again if we require further information from
you in order to process your request.
We will also contact you as soon as possible if we determine that a fee
will be payable for reprographics costs (such as photocopying or printing)
or postage costs associated with your request.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by reply to this email if you have
any questions relating to your request.
Regards,
Freedom of Information team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK | [2]www.lshtm.ac.uk
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LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Hi
Re: Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for "Population-based
analysis of
Dear Vera,
Once again, many apologies for this delay. I have finally received
documents, so can provide you with a response at long last.
Please let me know if you need anything further, and hopefully I will be
able to assist you much faster.
In the meantime, please find attached the requested IRB approvals.
Some standard sections follow on the re-use of the information which has
been supplied to you, and your right to appeal if you are dissatisfied
with our handling of your request.
Re-use of the information supplied to you
The copyright of any information which has been supplied to you will be
owned by LSHTM unless otherwise indicated. The supply of information under
the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information
Regulations does not give the person or organisation who receives it an
automatic right to re-use the information in a way which would infringe
copyright, for example, by making multiple copies, publishing and issuing
copies to the public.
Brief extracts of any material which is supplied to you may be reproduced
under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for research or private study for
non-commercial purposes, criticism, review or news reporting. More
extensive re-use must only be carried out with prior written permission
from LSHTM.
Enquiries about the re-use of material should be directed to the Archivist
& Records Manager (email: [email address]).
Your right to appeal
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your Freedom of Information
or Environmental Information request, you are encouraged to contact
[London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine request email] in the first instance, to determine if your concerns can
be resolved informally. This may lead to a quicker resolution of your
complaint than a formal appeal.
If you remain dissatisfied, you can ask for an internal review of LSHTM's
handling of your request. Appeals should be submitted promptly, and within
12 months of the School's response to your request. If you wish to
complain about a request to which we responded more than 12 months ago,
you should contact the Information Commissioner (see below), as LSHTM will
not process your appeal.
Appeals should be sent in writing to the Secretary at the following
address. You should state as fully as possible why you think your request
was not dealt with in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act or
the Environmental Information Regulations, and the remedy which you are
seeking from the School:
Secretary
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street
London
WC1E 7HT
Email: [London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine request email]
The Secretary will assign your appeal to a review committee, and will
acknowledge receipt of your appeal. The chair of the review committee will
respond to your appeal within 40 working days of its receipt by the
Secretary. If the review committee decides that information should be
released to you, the information will be provided to you as soon as is
practically possible.
If you are dissatisfied with LSHTM's response to your appeal, you can
apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision on whether your
request has been dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the
Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information Regulations.
The Commissioner will normally require you to have gone through our
internal appeal process first before he considers your appeal. If the
Commissioner finds in your favour, the Commissioner can require LSHTM to
release the information to you. The Commissioner can be contacted at the
following address:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
United Kingdom
Further information about your right to appeal to the Information
Commissioner is available on the Commissioner's website
(http://www.ico.gov.uk/).
Please do not hesitate to contact [London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine request email] if you have any
questions relating to our response to your request.
Yours sincerely,
Alex Hollander, on behalf of the Information Compliance team
School staff and students can visit the [1]ServiceDesk Portal and
[2]update their call under My Requests.
Alternatively, you can reply to this email or phone us quoting reference
2105-0247
LSHTM ServiceDesk
[3]servicedesk.lshtm.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 7927 2186
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK | +44 (0)20 7636 8636 |
[4]www.lshtm.ac.uk
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Dear Alex,
Your response appears to misinterpret this request. I'm hoping that you are able to respond to the original request, which remains unanswered.
As originally stated on 4 May, 20201, this request seeks: "the IRB protocol relating to the MRC Gambia-associated research published by A.R. Last et al in 2018 entitled "Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity" (indexed in PubMed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29482619/)... including informed consent form/process, and any other attachments or supporting documents."
What you released on 22 November, 2021, is instead documentation of an IRB approval in the form of three images. The second appears to be a duplicate close-up of part of the first. The third appears to be part of the fuller IRB protocol which was requested in full. It is marked "Appendix IV. Ethical Approval Documents" and states in part "Approval is dependent on local ethical approval having been received." The document featured in the first two disclosed pages/images appears to be that local approval.
Please release the full IRB protocol of which Appendix IV is one page. It may here be called an "application," judging from the language on that page.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you again for your time and assistance obtaining the requested information.
All best,
Vera Wilde
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Re: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for
"Population
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. We will process your request as soon as possible and
will respond within 20 working days.
Information on how we process Freedom of Information requests is available
on the LSHTM website at :
[1]https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/organisa...
We may need to contact you again if we require further information from
you in order to process your request.
We will also contact you as soon as possible if we determine that a fee
will be payable for reprographics costs (such as photocopying or printing)
or postage costs associated with your request.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by reply to this email if you have
any questions relating to your request.
Regards,
Freedom of Information team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK | [2]www.lshtm.ac.uk
References
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Dear London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to reiterate my request for an internal review of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's handling of my FOI request "IRB protocol for 'Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity.' "
This message repeats and updates the essential facts of this request. On May 4, 2021, I requested the IRB protocol relating to the MRC Gambia-associated research published by A.R. Last et al in 2018 entitled "Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity" (indexed in PubMed at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29482619/), including informed consent form/process, and any other attachments or supporting documents. I received an automatic acknowledgment of the request on the same day.
On June 3, 2021, I requested a status update. On June 8, Alex Hollander replied on behalf of the Information Compliance team. He explained the delay, and said the requested documents were expected to be scanned in the next few days.
On July 1, 2021, I requested a status update. I received an automatic acknowledgment but no substantive reply.
On August 27, 2021, I requested a status update in connection with the above request summary. Again I received an automatic acknowledgment but no substantive reply.
On September 21, 2021, I requested an internal review. On October 26, I received a sympathetic reply from Alex at the LSHTM ServiceDesk and thanked him on the same day.
On November 22, 2021, Alex Hollander on behalf of the Information Compliance team replied to my request with a document release. The documents released consisted of three images, the second appearing to be a duplicate close-up of part of the first. The third appears to be part of the fuller IRB protocol which was requested in full. It is marked "Appendix IV. Ethical Approval Documents" and states in part "Approval is dependent on local ethical approval having been received." The document featured in the first two disclosed pages/images appears to be that local approval.
On December 22, 2021, I replied explaining that this response appears to misinterpret and does not answer my request. I reiterated my original request for the full IRB protocol of which Appendix IV is one page. I noted that it may here be called an "application," judging from the language on that page.
On December 22, 2021, I received an automatic reply. Since then, I received no further replies.
A full history of this FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i....
By law, under all circumstances, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine should have responded to this FOI request by now. I remain grateful for the institution's assistance in obtaining the requested records, and curious about the status of the request and its expected completion date.
Thanks and best regards,
Vera Wilde
LSHTM ServiceDesk
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Re: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - IRB protocol for
"Population
Thank you for your request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act. We will process your request as soon as possible and
will respond within 20 working days.
Information on how we process Freedom of Information requests is available
on the LSHTM website at :
[1]https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/organisa...
We may need to contact you again if we require further information from
you in order to process your request.
We will also contact you as soon as possible if we determine that a fee
will be payable for reprographics costs (such as photocopying or printing)
or postage costs associated with your request.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by reply to this email if you have
any questions relating to your request.
Regards,
Freedom of Information team
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT UK | [2]www.lshtm.ac.uk
References
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Dear LSHTM Servicedesk,
Just checking in again about this Freedom of Information request for the IRB protocol, including informed consent form/process, and any other attachments or supporting documents, for "Population-based analysis of ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in trachoma-endemic West African communities identifies genomic markers of disease severity." My last letter to you, dated September 19, contained a summary and link to the full history of this request. That letter is here: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i....
I received no reply to that September 19 letter. And so, four weeks after writing you, on October 14, I complained to the Information Commissioner regarding your handling of this request.
Are you able to give me any information about the status of this request? It appears there's an ongoing internal review -- the second one in this case, if I'm not mistaken. But I still have yet to hear back from you in response to my September 19 letter, or the letter before that noting that your response appeared to misinterpret and did not answer this request.
I sincerely appreciate your time and help in this matter.
Thanks and best regards,
Vera
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Vera Wilde left an annotation ()
This request is the subject of a 10 January 2023 decision notice from the Information Commissioner's Office.
Letter: https://verawil.de/wp-content/uploads/20...
Comment: https://wildetruth.substack.com/p/small-...