COVID-19 presents enormous challenges to research ethics oversight. Here, we’ve begun a collection of oversight-related resources in order to best prepare our community for the operational and review concerns brought on by the viral outbreak. Read more
Do the high hopes of many that a “silver bullet” treatment for COVID-19 is forthcoming any day now represent a red herring to the public where the complexities of clinical research are concerned? Read more
At PRIM&R's 2019 Advancing Ethical Research Conference, Ivor Pritchard, PhD, discussed the relation between public, private, and social information in his session, The Secrets of Big Data: Public, Private or What? (B15). Dr. Pritchard asked, what are the risks and confidentiality provisions for social information?
First, the concept of social information can be described as neither publicly nor privately available, but information provided in controlled settings. As an example, data gathered from a classroom or an online chatroom are neither public nor private in that the subject is a) not alone and b) not everyone has access to that environment. Then, what are the risks to subjects in social experiments (experiments conducted in public settings like [...] Read more
On April 14, 2020, PRIM&R hosted a webinar, Meaningful Metrics: How HRPPs Can Use Their Data Effectively. This webinar discussed how to effectively use data to assess HRPP performance. After the webinar, speaker Kim Serpico, MEd, CIP, EdD Candidate responded to attendee questions time didn't permit us to address live. We're pleased to share those responses with the readers of Ampersand. Read more
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
