The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute’s bioethics arm is updating its name to the Bioethics and Participant Advocacy Program. It was formerly known as the Bioethics and Subject Advocacy Program.
Program Director Peter Schwartz, MD, PhD, said the new name was chosen to better reflect the vital and active participation by study participants in the research process. “People who enroll in research studies have gone from being called “subjects” to “participants,” so it’s only right to change our name to reflect this. We’ll continue working to help researchers do excellent science while keeping participants’ safety and interests in the front of their minds.”
The program serves to support ethical and responsible conduct in research, as well as effective communication with patients and research participants. The program provides researchers with the Indiana CTSI a variety of services, including:
• Consultations to researchers, administration, and/or leadership on research ethics and data safety monitoring
• Training courses for students and trainees on the topic of Responsible Conduct of Research
• Monthly Translational Research Ethics – Applied Topics talks on topics such as authorship, research with children and virtual research, as well as an archive of recordings of past talks
• Ongoing long-term collaboration on high-risk, high-reward research in areas such as precision health
• Conducting research on research ethics itself to continue to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive services possible
The program began nearly 14 years ago with funding from the Indiana CTSI.
