NASEM has impaneled an impressive committee of experts to evaluate current and future uses of population descriptors in genomic research. This is going to require a deeply challenging examination—a communal reckoning, really—of how terms like race, ethnicity, and ancestry are perceived by diverse stakeholders in the genomic research community and the public at large. Read more
The question of whether and how to return individual research results to subjects has been an ongoing area of uncertainty for investigators and research institutions. The recent report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), Return of Individual-Specific Research Results to Participants: Guidance for a New Research Paradigm, offered recommendations for “a process-oriented approach to returning individual research results that considers the value to the research subject, the risks and feasibility of return, and the quality of the research laboratory.” On October 3, 2018, PRIM&R hosted a webinar to summarize the recommendations of the report, and provide guidance specifically on its potential implications for IRBs. Read more
In July of this year, the National Academies of Science, Medicine, and Engineering (NASEM) released a report titled, “Returning Individual Research Results to Participants: Guidance for a New Research Paradigm.” It’s a comprehensive report that raises many important considerations and proposes a number of thoughtful recommendations on this very timely topic. I won’t be able to do justice to all of its details and nuance here. Instead, I’ll share what I take to be some key themes and takeaways, including for IRBs. Read more
