Liz Marshall is Vice Chair of the Leeds East Research Ethics Committee (REC). She joined the REC in February 2025 as a lay member to do something interesting and worthwhile with her time while in between jobs and to learn a different set of skills.
Liz is currently a policy officer for the General Medical Council, and she has previously worked as a policy manager for the Civil Service.
She spoke to us about what it’s like to be part of a committee, her memorable moments and her advice for people thinking about joining a REC.
What inspired you to become a REC member?
I was looking for something that would fill my time in a useful and interesting way while looking for jobs. Then I managed to make it work with my new job so I stayed. Research applications cover a massive range of topics so I really liked the idea of learning about something new every time we look at an application. It was also something that I could do from home which fit in really well with my circumstances and the HRA were really willing to work with me for some adjustments that I needed because I have a disability.
What do you enjoy about being a REC member?
The thing I enjoy most is the differences of perspective and opinions when you're discussing an application. Sometimes, I think I can see the bits of an application that people are going to disagree over and then people have a completely different opinion than I expected. I find the process of how people make decisions and what they think is important fascinating. Although it's quite a serious role, it's fun to meet with the same people on a regular basis. You get to know each other and how things are going and say congratulations when somebody's got a new job or whatever else is going on in their lives. So, although you're all remote, you do get to build up a relationship over time with your REC members as well.
What have you learnt from your experiences in REC meetings so far?
I have learned that you have a lot to offer to a discussion even if you're not an expert or a specialist in something. Just being who you are and having the confidence to share an opinion is really valuable. A lot of what you need to do the role isn't knowledge, it's confidence and curiosity to be able to ask the questions about why somebody's wanting to look at a particular topic or do a piece of research. You don't need to know the answer, you just need to be interested enough to find out about it.
What's been your most memorable REC meeting and highlights?
It just so happened that the one of the first pieces of research that I reviewed was about the condition that I have. The Chair of my REC and the Approvals Specialist were very supportive and keen that I still participate. It was really interesting for me to see the developments in treating a condition that I know a little bit about. I wasn’t trying represent all people with my condition but the other REC members recognized the unique perspective I had and wanted to hear what I thought.
The highlight of my time so far would be the annual REC Development Day. It’s a chance to get together in person with other RECs in a region and learn about a whole range of interesting topics from guest speakers. My favourite part last year was learning about genomics.
What would you say to someone thinking about becoming a REC member?
The HRA needs people from as many different backgrounds as possible to be involved in this kind of work to be able to do it properly and to make sure that the best interests of everybody who's involved are considered. You don't need to be a specialist or to be certain about anything, you just need to be willing to come along and give it a go. There’s fantastic training available and everybody is really supportive and wants you to do well. So, I would say if someone is interested but maybe feels like they don't have the right things to offer, they already do just because they're interested and able to be curious.
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