The tremendous growth in the volume of research being conducted in developing countries by both developed country scientists and local investigators has raised a number of ethical issues that are often not adequately addressed. This has sparked a need to re-evaluate the relevance of international ethical standards (based largely on Western cultural norms) to the needs of communities, participants, and researchers in the developing world. Recently two major ethical guidelines - the Declaration of Helsinki and the CIOMS guidelines on biomedical research -- have been or are being revised. These revisions, however, are often conducted without the full appreciation of the different circumstances that may confront researchers in developing countries. Working with collaborating institutions Tufts University, the Instituto Nacional Salud Publica in Cuernavaca, Mexico, the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa, and the Aruchal Menon Centre of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology in Trivandrum, Kerala, India, we have conducted five workshops designed to encourage dialogue around the ethics of conducting health research in developing countries. A number of written and video cases were developed based on ethical dilemmas posed by investigators. We will discuss issues in case study-based curriculum development, the results of the workshops, and our experiences in teaching research ethics in different cultural settings. See www.hsph.harvard.edu/bioethics
Learning Objectives: 1. Gain an understanding of the need for training in ethical issues in health research in developing countries; 2. Discuss the curriculum developed for five workshops (including three in developing countries); 3. Discuss the knowledge gained from these workshops.
Keywords: International Public Health, Ethics Training
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.