Before we get too far into the new year, I wanted to take an opportunity to sneak in a few last reflections on the recent Advancing Ethical Research conference. As I prepared to leave Tennessee for Boston and AER15, I projected two goals: first and most basically, a renewal of knowledge; and second, the more lofty aspiration, to gain insight into the pragmatic relationships formed during the research process. Given the amorphous nature of both, I could argue I either achieved everything I could have hoped for, or, that [...] Read more
TAG ARCHIVES FOR 2015 AER Conference
By the end of the post, I may call into question my own particular existence. In the meantime, though, let’s talk about research ethics (the two are related, I assure you).
As the 2015 Advancing Ethical Research (AER) Conference wound through its days, a theme of sorts began to emerge. It found its clearest statement in the conference’s final session, a discussion of the various reports and inquires that have come forth regarding the state of research ethics oversight at the University of Minnesota. The recent headlines about this—"Why the U. of Minnesota Research Scandal Threatens [...] Read more

It seems that in many cases, IRB offices are struggling with processing and turnaround time of new and revised protocols. This can lead to overloaded agendas, which may not allow all IRB members enough time to review every item on the agenda prior to the IRB meetings. Jon Newlin, assistant director in the Office of the HRPP at North Shore-LIJ, explained during his presentation at the 2015 Advancing Ethical Research Conference (AER15), "Transformation to an All-Videoconference Flexible IRB Model: One Institution’s Experience," that to rectify this problem his institution consolidated their IRBs into one roster. In this process, they reduced their IRB from more than 20 voting members to nine with 60 [...] Read more

Like some feverish character of in a Dostoyevsky novel, as a culture, we are obsessed with all things crime and punishment. Going to prison, being in prison, and life after prison are the topics dozens of television shows and movies. Illegal activity as entertainment? We’re in. Prisoners and prisoner biomedical issues for thoughtful, systematic research? Maybe not so much.
The need for scientific inquiry seems obvious: millions of people flow through the prison system each year, and based on health impact and health disparities for that group alone, you would think the research and medical communities would be paying close attention. There are some Read more
Many moons ago, I walked into a large meeting room to attend my first session of my first PRIM&R event. I was even more green than that: I’d only been involved with my IRB for a month or so, and was still getting accustomed to the lingo—and I wasn’t anything approaching a scientist. Far from it, I was a mere six months in to my internship and residency in healthcare chaplaincy. So, when I walked into the Advanced Research Ethics pre-conference session of the 2009 Advancing [...] Read more