After the murder of George Floyd in the late Spring of 2020 and the protests that followed, many organizations, PRIM&R included, found themselves in an overdue moment of introspection. A part of this work included an internal review of how we acknowledge days and months on the calendar that commemorate heritage and awareness groups (e.g. Black History Month, LGBT Pride Month, Disability History/Awareness Month). 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
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
PRIM&R's Diversity Advisory Group (DAG) works to advance PRIM&R's goal of promoting a diverse and inclusive environment. It advises PRIM&R staff on strategies for fostering a membership community where differences can flourish and works to raise the profile of diversity as an issue that matters to the broader research oversight field. One way that PRIM&R is committed to acting against racism is by sharing information, and the DAG encourages members of the PRIM&R community to support the expansion of resources by contributing suggestions. Read more
Last year, Heather H. Pierce, JD, MPH and I shared some thoughts about the Belmont Report at 40, and about the evolution and flexibility of the Belmont principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice in the face of changing circumstances. As we leave behind the extraordinary year of 2020, I have been thinking about how the pandemic, together with the Black Lives Matter social justice movement, has shone new, and I would say welcome, light on the principle of justice in research. Read more
