International Research Ethics: Lessons Learned and Future Priorities

International Research Ethics: Lessons Learned and Future Priorities

Following the annual network meeting of Fogarty's International Research Ethics Education and Curriculum Development Award in May of 2013, the Center for Global Health Studies (CGHS) at Fogarty brought Principal Investigators together to:

1. analyze progress in responding to the initial gaps in global research ethics capacity the Bioethics program was developed to address;
2. assess the current research ethics needs in a changing global health research landscape;
3. systematically reflect on the lessons learned about best practices for international bioethics education; and
4. provide recommendations for the way forward for bioethics education programs and funding agencies.

Investigators spent two days at CGHS, where they planned for 15 papers that would address a range of topical and regional issues. Paper concepts were refined with the larger group and then break-out groups of authors worked on more detailed outlines. The investigators also met as a larger group to discuss overall and cross-cutting themes. Representatives of the Wellcome Trust, another funding agency that supports bioethics capacity-building in LMICs, also participated in the network meeting and the writer’s retreat.