1. Who we are and who is responsible for your data

The Operating Room Global (TORG) is an international professional network established in 2015. Its activities include professional membership, education, research, mentoring, scientific events, partnerships, professional development and related services.

Our wider ecosystem includes The Operating Room Global Centre for Education, Research & Innovation (TORGCERI), the Ireland-incorporated academic and research arm; The Operating Room Global Journal (TORGJ); and TORG Events.

The organisation or organisations determining the purposes and means of processing for a particular activity act as the relevant data controller(s). Where TORGCERI, TORGJ, an institutional research partner or event partner acts independently or jointly, the applicable programme-specific notice should explain that arrangement. The inclusion of an affiliated platform here does not automatically mean that all entities are joint controllers for all information.

For privacy enquiries concerning this website, email privacy@operatingroomissues.org.

2. Scope of this policy

This notice covers personal information handled through operatingroomissues.org and TORG-administered activities, including associated application forms, community engagement, webinars, training, research fellowship administration, congress coordination and professional correspondence. Where you use TORGCERI, TORGJ or TORG Events websites, additional or more specific notices may apply.

It also applies to relevant offline interactions where TORG collects information for these purposes. It does not replace the privacy notice of an independent hospital, university, publisher, conference partner or third-party service.

3. What personal information we may collect

• Identity and contact details: name, title, email address, telephone number, country, organisation and postal address where needed.
• Professional and academic details: role, qualifications, affiliation, specialty, professional profile, CV, experience, membership ID, ORCID or other professional identifiers supplied by you.
• Application and programme records: eligibility information, concept notes, research proposals, supporting documents, references, assessment records, attendance, feedback, completion status and correspondence.
• Event and payment administration: registration category, participation details, invoicing and payment-verification status, sponsorship or exhibitor enquiries and transaction records needed for administration. We do not assume that full payment-card details are collected directly by TORG.
• Publication and research information: manuscript-related details, author/reviewer correspondence, ethical documentation and information collected under a particular research protocol.
• Audio-visual information: names, voices, photographs, video, presentation materials, questions or chat contributions where events are recorded or published.
• Website and technical information: IP address, device/browser details, approximate location derived from technical data, timestamps, pages accessed, security logs and cookie preferences where applicable.
• Communications: messages submitted through contact forms, email, feedback forms or other channels.

We ask you not to provide sensitive personal information, confidential patient details or identifiable clinical records unless specifically required through an approved and secure process. If special-category personal data is genuinely necessary, the relevant activity must identify an applicable GDPR Article 9 condition in addition to an Article 6 lawful basis.

4. How we collect information

We obtain information directly when you complete a form, create or update a profile, apply for a programme, register for an event, submit a manuscript, subscribe to updates, email us or participate in an activity. We may also receive information from authorised institutional partners, referees, event collaborators or publicly available professional sources where lawful and relevant. Some technical information is generated when you access our websites.

If you provide another person’s details, you should have an appropriate reason or authorisation to do so and ensure they receive relevant privacy information.

5. Why we process information and our lawful bases

Where we rely on legitimate interests, those interests include administering a professional community, ensuring fair programme selection, maintaining accurate records, securing our systems and communicating about requested activities, subject to balancing those interests against your rights and freedoms. Consent can be withdrawn where processing depends on consent; withdrawal does not invalidate earlier lawful processing.

6. Membership, fellowships, training and applications

When you join TORG or apply for a fellowship, mentoring opportunity, educational programme, observership, partnership or other activity, we may use your information to confirm identity and eligibility, review supporting documents, assess applications, communicate decisions, allocate programme identifiers, administer participation, arrange assessments and maintain programme records.

For the TORG Global Research Fellowship, applications may include professional and academic details, research concept notes, references and supporting documents. Where a participant contribution applies, the application form may identify a category provisionally; any applicable amount and eligibility should be verified before a separate invoice is issued. Submitting an application does not, by itself, guarantee admission or payment acceptance.

Some online forms may provide acknowledgement messages, automated eligibility routing, application reference numbers or save-and-resume functions. Such functionality does not necessarily amount to a final admission decision. Applicants should be told which fields are mandatory, why they are needed, and whether incomplete information prevents assessment.

Application uploads and draft submissions should be handled according to the particular form’s technical capabilities and privacy notice; do not assume that an unfinished draft securely preserves every uploaded attachment.

7. Research, ethics review and academic activities

TORG and its academic and institutional collaborators support research, evidence synthesis, research training, ethics processes and scholarly dissemination. The controller, purposes, lawful basis, recipients, retention arrangements, international transfers and participant rights for an individual study should be described in that study’s participant information sheet or research privacy notice.

Research information may be coded or pseudonymised where appropriate. Pseudonymised information remains personal data where re-identification is possible. Identifiable participant data must not be published without an appropriate lawful basis and safeguards. Access should be restricted to authorised persons, with additional measures for sensitive information.

Research participation, research consent, consent to audio recording and consent to public use of identifiable images or quotes are separate matters where applicable. TORG-IRB review or another ethics approval does not replace data protection obligations.

For journal submissions and peer review, TORGJ may operate its own editorial workflows and privacy notices; publication metadata, including author names, affiliations and identifiers, may become publicly available when an article is published.

8. Webinars, congresses, photographs and recordings

TORG organises live and virtual webinars, research congresses, educational sessions and conferences. Events may be recorded, photographed, livestreamed or made available later as replays on websites, video platforms and official communication channels. Depending on the format, a participant’s name, image, voice, presentation, chat message or question may be captured.

We aim to give appropriate notice before recording or publication. Speakers, chairs and featured contributors may be asked for additional permissions or be covered by relevant participation arrangements. Participants who prefer not to appear should follow the event’s available privacy controls (such as keeping cameras off and using private questions) and contact the organiser in advance where possible. These controls may not eliminate all incidental capture.

Publicly posted videos and images may be viewed, shared or retained by others outside TORG’s control. Requests about particular recordings can be sent to our privacy contact and will be assessed in light of applicable rights and obligations.

9. Certificates, professional recognition and verification

We may process participant names, membership identifiers, programme titles, completion records, certificate numbers, dates and assessment outcomes to issue and authenticate certificates or professional recognition.

Where a public verification page is offered, it should disclose only the information necessary to validate the credential, such as the recipient’s name, credential, issuing organisation, certificate ID and relevant dates. Private grades, examiner reports, contact details and other non-essential records should not be published as part of routine verification.

10. Emails, newsletters and communications

We send operational communications relevant to enquiries, applications, membership, event registration, payment verification, programme participation, certificates and other services you request. These messages may be necessary to administer the relationship and are distinct from optional promotional emails.

Where required, we seek appropriate consent before sending newsletters, promotional announcements or marketing messages. You can unsubscribe using the instructions in the message or contact us. Unsubscribing from marketing will not necessarily stop essential service or administrative correspondence.

We may use third-party mailing or email-delivery services to manage communications under suitable arrangements. We do not sell membership or applicant email lists to advertisers.

11. Cookies, analytics and embedded content

Our websites may use essential cookies for security, navigation, form functionality and remembering necessary preferences. Depending on the services active on a particular page, optional analytics, advertising, social-media or embedded-video technologies may also collect information.

Non-essential cookies and similar technologies should be activated only after valid consent where required. You should be able to reject optional cookies and change or withdraw your choice through the cookie controls made available on the website. Browser settings may also allow you to restrict or delete cookies, although some site functions may then be affected.

Embedded services, such as YouTube videos, may have their own privacy and cookie practices. Consult the TORG Cookie Policy for additional details, where available. The list of active cookies, advertising partners and providers must reflect the technologies actually deployed on the site.

12. When we share information

We may share relevant information, only as necessary and lawful, with:

• Authorised TORG personnel, programme assessors, editors, coordinators and appropriately bound volunteers.
• TORGCERI, TORGJ or TORG Events personnel where needed for the relevant activity and with a suitable controller or processing arrangement.
• Approved universities, hospitals, research centres, ethics bodies, professional collaborators and event partners involved in a programme you join.
• Service providers supporting hosting, forms, cloud storage, email delivery, online meetings, analytics, invoicing or other operational services, subject to appropriate safeguards.
• Regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or professional advisers where disclosure is required or justified by law.

We do not routinely disclose complete applicant, member, research participant or reviewer datasets to sponsors or advertisers. Where a sponsor or external organisation collects your details directly, its own privacy notice may apply. We do not describe any provider as a processor or independent controller without regard to its actual role.

13. International processing and transfers

TORG’s professional community and partners operate across multiple countries. Information may be accessed or processed outside Ireland and the European Economic Area when needed for a relevant activity or through a service provider.

Where GDPR rules apply, transfers to countries without an applicable adequacy decision require an appropriate legal transfer mechanism, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses where suitable, and any additional measures required by the circumstances. For details about a particular transfer, contact us.

14. How long we keep information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for its purpose, taking account of legal, accounting, contractual, professional, research-integrity, dispute-resolution and safeguarding requirements. Retention varies by record type:

• Enquiries and general correspondence: while needed to respond and for a proportionate follow-up period.
• Membership and programme records: during the relationship and for a justified period afterwards to support administration, verification and legitimate recordkeeping.
• Application and selection materials: for the selection process and a documented post-decision period, unless longer retention is justified.
• Invoices and financial records: for the applicable statutory accounting or tax retention period.
• Research data: for the period stated in the approved study protocol and participant notice, which may differ between projects.
• Published articles, public credentials and event recordings: potentially longer where publication, scholarly recordkeeping or verification justifies it, subject to applicable rights and review.
• Technical logs and cookies: according to security needs and the relevant cookie or service settings.

Where a precise period cannot be stated here, we use the criteria above and the activity-specific retention schedule. Data is deleted, anonymised or securely archived when no longer required, as appropriate.

15. Information security

We take reasonable organisational and technical measures designed to protect information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration and disclosure. Measures may include role-based access, account security, secure transmission, restricted storage, appropriate supplier arrangements and incident response processes.

No internet service or electronic storage method can be guaranteed completely secure. If a personal-data breach occurs, we will assess notification duties and notify affected people and regulators where legally required.

16. Your data protection rights

Subject to the circumstances and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request erasure of information where the legal conditions apply.
• Request restriction of certain processing.
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
• Request data portability where applicable.
• Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.
• Not be subject to certain decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, where the relevant GDPR protections apply.

To exercise your rights, contact privacy@operatingroomissues.org. We may request reasonable information to verify your identity. We normally respond within one month, subject to lawful extensions and exceptions. We do not charge a routine fee for exercising GDPR rights, although a reasonable fee may be permitted for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.

If you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you may lodge a complaint with the Irish Data Protection Commission or another competent supervisory authority. You can also contact us first so we can review your concern.

17. Children’s privacy

Our professional programmes and online services are primarily intended for adults and appropriately eligible participants. We do not intentionally solicit personal information from children through general membership and professional application forms. Where a specific youth-oriented activity is offered, we will provide age-appropriate information and obtain any permissions required by applicable law. Parents or guardians concerned about information submitted by a child may contact us.

18. External websites and platforms

Our websites may link to independent websites, registration systems, journals, video hosts, social networks and institutional partners. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of unrelated third parties. Please review their notices before providing personal information. Separate notices may apply to TORGCERI, TORGJ and TORG Events.

19. Updates to this policy

We may revise this notice to reflect changes in law, our activities, technology, service providers or information-handling practices. The latest version will be published on this page with its revision date. Where a change materially affects a processing activity, we will provide further notice or seek consent when required.

Last updated: 24 October 2026.