COMBIVET INTERNAL ETHICS COMMITTEE

Combivet Internal Committee of Ethics will advise ERA Chair on seeking further ethical advice or approach the researcher in COMBIVET to take care of getting the required ethics approval. Ethical committee has clear understanding of all legal and ethical requirements for all steps of research. The Internal Committee of Ethics has an overview of all the Ethical permit applications, valid permits, and end dates of permits in the COMBIVET ERA Chair.
The members the Internal Committee Of Ethics in Combivet are selected by the Head of the Committee, who ensures the diversity of members. Ethics Committee has in its membership ethics mentors and a secretary. The Secretary is in charge of communication with members, receiving applications, filing documents and updating members with different Combivet ERA Chair developments.

Members of the Combivet Internal Committee are:

Alireza Fazeli​ 
Head of the Committee
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Professor Alireza Fazeli has over 20 years of experience of conducting multidisciplinary research in world-class universities and research institutions around the globe. During this time, he has developed vast experience using different “OMICS” technologies such as genomics and proteomics in translational research in the field of immune, reproductive and developmental medicine. In particular he has sought to investigate the Periconception Environment and its effect on the offspring epigenetic profile, maternal interactions with gametes and embryos as well as understanding the mechanisms involved in the mediation of the innate immune system in the female reproductive tract in health and disease.
In carrying out this work, he has developed an extensive network of contacts, having collaborated with a wide variety of excellent researchers and scientists from academia, industry and pharma from different countries. This is illustrated in the two successful EU-wide research programs he has chaired and vice-chaired: Gemini and Epiconcept each involving more than 30 different European and European Associated countries with over 400 active researchers originating from different academic institutions.
Prof Fazeli has also served as chairman of the British Andrology Society that is an international Learned Society with membership from all over the globe for 3 years. He has also served as Head of the Academic unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine at Sheffield University, managing over 50 academics, technical, administrative, post-graduate research and taught students.
During his research career, he has published well over 250 scientific communications of which 90 are published in peer reviewed high quality scientific journals. In addition to professional scientific media, he has sought to disseminate his research in the public press and in different forms of media. From art objects exhibited in public art galleries to video clips on YouTube. His goal in these efforts have been to make science understandable for all, in particular the younger generations so as to inspire and educate them to pursue scientific careers. He hopes that his research make a difference in day to day lives of ordinary people.

Andres Aland
Ethics mentor
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Andres Aland initially worked as a field veterinarian for 5.5 years after completing his undergraduate studies. He started his academic career by moving to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences for his master studies, and then he completed his PhD studies at the Estonian Agricultural University in Tartu in 2003. He joined the Estonian University of Life Sciences as an assistant/junior researcher in 1994. His career at the university’s Institute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences involves 5.5 years’ service as a director of the Institute in 2011–2016. He is currently a senior lecturer in animal health, which involves both teaching and scientific activities in the Chair of Veterinary Biomedicine and Food Hygiene. Lecture Aland has supervised a number of graduate and post-graduate students and published several book chapters, journal and international conference papers. He has been the co-editor of three textbooks published by Wageningen Academic Publishers and CRC Press. Dr Aland has been involved in approximately 10 large research projects in both Estonia and Europe, funded by various governmental or European agencies. His expertise is mainly related to the area of environmental risks to animal welfare and herd health in different production systems. He serves as the Executive Board member of the International Society for Animal Hygiene, and he has organized the Society’s 13th International Congress in Tartu, Estonia, in 2007. He is the member of Animal Experiment Permit Committee at the Ministry of Agriculture since 2004.

Maire Peters 
​Ethics mentor
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Maire Peters got her PhD from the University of Tartu in 2004. She works as an associate professor at Tartu University Women’s Clinic and as a principal investigator at the Competence Centre on Health Technologies (Tartu, Estonia). Her scientific career is focused on molecular mechanisms behind female infertility and benign gynaecological diseases and on preimplantation genetic testing. She is a member of the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Tartu since 2011, and is a member of the international editorial board of the journal “Frontiers in Reproductive Health”. Maire Peters is a co-author of more than 60 scientific publications.

Signe Parts

Signe Parts began her studies at Tartu University, Estonia with BSc studies in Gene Technology where she had a great opportunity to collaborate with AS Icosagen in cell line development and gene editing with the CRISPR system to create a more efficient selection system for super-producer cells. In 2020 she continued her studies in the Biomedicine curriculum. Her Master’s thesis focused on diabetic patients’ urinary extracellular vesicles isolation methods. In September 2022, she started her PhD studies as a junior researcher in Prof. Fazeli’s research group under the supervision of Prof. Vallo Volke and Prof. Alireza Fazeli. During her PhD studies, Signe will continue her work with diabetic patients and extracellular vesicles. In addition to her research, she enjoys popularizing science in Estonia. She is working as a lecturer at the University of Tartu Youth Academy where she is teaching biology workshops.

Vallo Volke
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Professor Vallo Volke is the head of the department of pathophysiology at Tartu University and Head of Innovation of the Tartu University Hospital. His main research interest are complications of diabetes and pituitary effects of Glucagon- 1 Receptor Agonists. He has published >50 articles in international peer-reviewed scientific journals. Under his supervision, 4 doctoral dissertations have been commenced at the University of Tartu. Vallo Volke is the editor of the journal Acta Neuropsychiatrica (Cambridge University Press) and a member of the editorial board of the journals JCEM Case Reports and Estonian Medical Journal. He serves as a Chief expert of internal medicine specialties of the Ministry of Social Affairs and currently heads the Estonian Society of Endocrinology.

The Internal Committee Of Ethics in Combivet gathers if there is a need for ethical advisory but at least once a year to renew COMBIVET ERA Chair Ethics Strategy, to check all the valid ethical permits are in place and to assess proper enforcement of laws and ethics in the COMBIVET ERA Chair. 

For further information or coresponces with The Internal Committee Of Ethics in Combivet, please contact Annika Hurt (Secretary of the Committee) At:  [email protected]