Human research rules have become a compliance bureaucracy, argues sociologist Sarah Babb in her 2020 book Regulating Human Research: IRBs from Peer Review to Compliance Bureaucracy, but that's not an inherently bad thing. The social and political climate the first research regulations were made in, and the enforcement mechanisms that would eventually take hold, have rationally led to the large and sophisticated bureaucracy that human research protections is today. Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light, once again, the ongoing issue of racial health inequalities in the United States and around the globe. As the first vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 were being approved for use around the world, scrutiny of medical research and its oversight has highlighted the fact that there is still much to do to resolve the unending epidemic of racism in healthcare and to ensure diversity in clinical trials. Read more
Is it legal, ethical, and practical to implement a vaccine mandate for participation in (or conduct of) research? If we want to do so, what principles should we consider? Read more
Guest blogger Anthony Peña discusses SACHRP's work to expand upon the role of justice in the Belmont Report. SACHRP’s task is to identify where holes exist in the ethical framework and regulations, and comment on what is needed to respond. Underscored by current events, this is overdue work that needs to result in rapid updates to IRB discourse and operations. Read more
The new PRIM&R Knowledge Center houses a wide range of resources to keep you inspired and informed for your work in research ethics and oversight! As you familiarize yourself with the Knowledge Center, we want to direct you to some of our notable resources. Today, we'll share our top five for IACUC professionals. Read more
As COVID-19 vaccinations have ramped up, there has been a parallel surge in discussion of the legality, ethics, and practicality of so-called vaccine passports: systems or processes that require COVID-19 vaccination in order to participate in certain activities. On the SBER Network, a PRIM&R Online Community, discussion emerged about whether institutions could mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for those participating in research, what role IRBs might play in that conversation, and the principles we should take into account as we consider the question. Read more
