Advanced Issues in Research Ethics

Course description

This course is normally presented as a half-day workshop as on-going education for current REB members and staff looking to deepen their understanding of challenging and emerging research ethics issues, and of themes arising from the new 2nd edition of the Tri-Council Policy Statement.  It is flexible and can be tailored to the particular needs of the institution and attendees, and to the types of issues they commonly address.  The course includes both lively presentations and interactive discussion with case examples drawn from 18 years of experience serving on REBs in Canada and the US.  

This workshop is not an introduction to research ethics and does not attempt to cover all its basic elements, although training of this kind is also offered (Fundamentals of  Research Ethics) targeted at newer REB members and staff.

Brief Description of Course Content

Since participants will have experience in reviewing protocols, this half-day workshop is interactive rather than lecture-based.   The workshop provides an overview of challenging and emerging issues in research ethics, with a particular focus on real-world examples and in-depth consideration of topics that challenge REBs and members.  Issues addressed at the workshop are chosen based on the identified needs of workshop participants, and selected from a broad range of topics that challenge REBs and their members.  The workshop features a facilitated discussion on the chosen topics and case scenarios are used to raise different aspects of these issues and model ethical decision-making in the resolution of challenging protocols.

Following is a list of suggested topics that may be covered, but others of particular interest may also be discussed: