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The Institutional Ethics Board was established in 1994 under the leadership of Dr. Charles Y. Yu, who was then the Research Director of the De La Salle University Angelo King Medical Research Center (DLSU-AKMRC), the research arm of the De La Salle University College of Medicine. This institution would later evolve into the De La Salle University Health Sciences Campus, now known as the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI). Dr. Yu also served as the inaugural Chair of the ethics board, laying a strong foundation for its operations and fostering a culture of ethical rigor in health research.

Over the years, the committee underwent several organizational transformations, including restructuring and renaming.

From 1996 to 2000, the committee was renamed the Ethics Review Board (ERB) and led by Rev. Fr. Danilo Tiong. In 2001, it underwent another rebranding as the Institutional Review Board/Ethics Review Board (IRB/ERB). Over the following eight years, it was successively chaired by Rev. Fr. Danilo Tiong, Dr. Melchor Victor G. Frias IV, and Dr. Angelica D. Francisco, who each contributed to strengthening the committee's role in ensuring the ethical integrity of research.

In 2009, the committee was formally designated as the Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), with its primary mandate of ensuring the ethical integrity of research conducted within the institution. This transition reflected the growing emphasis on ethical compliance and research oversight.

Since its inception, five Chairs—Dr. Charles Y. Yu, Rev. Fr. Danilo Tiong, Dr. Angelica D. Francisco, Dr. Madeleine Matibag-Sosa, and Dr. Melchor Victor G. Frias IV—have guided the committee. Each chair significantly contributed to shaping its operations and reinforcing its commitment to safeguarding the rights, dignity, and welfare of research participants. The IEC and its predecessors have consistently adhered to a structured framework of protocols and procedures that have ensured clarity, consistency, and accountability in its review and decision-making processes.

In 2012, the IEC developed a provisional Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to standardize its processes further. By 2015, as part of preparations for the initial Philippine Health Research Ethics Board (PHREB) accreditation, the SOP underwent substantial refinement, incorporating additional chapters and sections to meet evolving standards. The final SOP was approved by then Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) and interim IEC Chair, Dr. Melchor Victor G. Frias IV, marking a pivotal milestone in the committee's operational development.

In January 2018, the institution reached a significant milestone by adopting its current name, the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI). With this change, the Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) was officially renamed the DLSMHSI-IEC. Initially, the committee operated under the direct supervision of the Vice Chancellor for Research. However, in 2023, as part of a comprehensive reorganization of Research Services through the current Vice Chancellor for Research Services, Dr. Susan A. Olavidez, the DLSMHSI-IEC was placed under the Research Integrity, Compliance, and Safety unit of the Research Administration and Compliance (RAC) department. This strategic reorganization was designed to strengthen institutional support and oversight while preserving the committee’s independence in ethics reviews and decision-making. The pivotal role of the DLSMHSI-IEC was further emphasized through a memorandum issued on August 19, 2024, which reaffirmed its authority, autonomy, and the institutional commitment to providing operational and logistical support. On May 2025, the committee was granted PHREB Level 2 Accreditation, effective until May 20, 2026—an important validation of its enhanced capacity to review a broader range of research studies, its strengthened institutional processes and safeguards, and its full compliance with national standards for ethics oversight.

Today, the DLSMHSI-IEC, chaired by Dr. Nikki Eileen Valencia, continues to uphold the highest ethical standards in research. Its unwavering commitment to impartiality, transparency, and rigor has firmly established it as a cornerstone of ethical research at DLSMHSI, ensuring that the rights and welfare of research participants remain at the forefront of its mission.