As the world eagerly awaits a coronavirus vaccine, the vital role of biomedical research has become increasingly visible. But as researchers—whether they study humans or nonhuman animals—enjoy increased prominence and (in some corners) approval, the challenges of doing their work remain immense. And at a time like this, maintaining the highest ethical standards in research is more crucial than ever. Read more
During the first day of the 2019 Advancing Ethical Research Conference, I had the good fortune of hearing Janine Austin Clayton, MD, from the Office of Research on Women's Health, an NIH organization that was created with the goal of finding answers on why certain diseases affect women more than men. The data she shared on health gaps between men and women should spark a fire in all of us to encourage our government and employers to do more. Read more
In this edition of Research Ethics Reading List, we feature books on the intersection of race and research ethics. (Book description copy comes courtesy of each book’s publisher or author website where possible.)
Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care
Dayna Bowen Matthew
“Over 84,000 black and brown lives are needlessly lost each year due to health disparities: the unfair, unjust, and avoidable differences between [...] Read more
The IRB at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is quite small, and I was curious, in attending AER19 and connecting with other HRPP professionals, how we compared with other small institutions. As a young professional in a single-staff IRB office, I was also looking for tricks of the trade to improve my limited capabilities and address challenges that arise. Clear communication with campus stakeholders and planning small improvement objectives are effective measures when working against challenges like budget, capacity, and misconceptions. Read more
Researchers at the University of Toledo invite researchers, IRB members, and research compliance staff to participate in a short survey on procedural changes implemented by HRPPs and IRBs throughout the United States in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
A team comprising Holly Taylor of the NIH Clinical Center’s Department of Bioethics; Susan Kornetsky of Boston Children’s Hospital; and Megan Kasimatis Singleton of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and myself recently completed a project examining how, in the absence of federal guidance, institutions are interpreting and applying the key information requirement and, specifically, whether and to what extent they are developing policies, guidance, templates, or other tools to help researchers and IRBs apply this provision of the Common Rule. We undertook this project as part of the Consortium to Advance Effective Research Oversight (AEREO)—a group of leaders in human research oversight, research ethics, and empirical methods dedicated to evaluating and improving the effectiveness of IRBs and HRPPs through empirical research. PRIM&R is pleased to share with the human research protections community the materials collected during this project as a public resource. Read more
