Research Ethics - an Introduction

Overview

Volunteers are often asked to take part in medical research in order to improve the health and well being of other people, now and in the future. However noble the aim, this raises many ethical questions.

How can we ensure that participants give their genuinely informed consent? What should be provided to control groups during clinical trials? How can we weigh the risks and benefits of various studies? How can we ensure scientific integrity in research? When should we conduct research with vulnerable populations, such as children and people in low- and middle-income countries? How should we interpret the Tuskegee syphilis study from a historical perspective?

Learning objectives

By the end of the Research Ethics - an Introduction course from Utrecht University, you should be able to:

• Discern the morally salient dimensions of a research project, and come to a well-considered judgment about the acceptability of such a project
• Reflect on moral dilemmas for researchers and Research Ethics Committees, and be able to systematically analyze such dilemmas
• Weigh the various arguments involved, and work towards a well-reasoned position or decision