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Ethics:
Ethics is integrated into each of the major courses
and woven throughout the program. Joseph Kaufert
of the UM, a highly respected authority on research
ethics issues, will lead the ethics program for the Training Program. As part of the Clinical Trials and International
Research Ethics Course, ethics will be a major focus of study. The IID&GH training
program will partner with a number of international experts on ethics and collaborate
with their existing training program. Ross Upshur
is the Director of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics (JCB).
The JCB has extensive experience in the creation of workshops for bioethics
education, particularly in developing world contexts. They have held three
NIH/Fogarty international capacity building grants in research ethics and educated
a cadre of trained mid-career professionals in building research ethics capacity.
The JCB has developed and delivered a modular program in public health and
research ethics for the post graduate diploma in international research ethics
at the International Research Ethics Network for Southern Africa (IRENSA) at
the University of Cape Town. Additionally they have run graduate courses in
all dimensions of bioethics including global health ethics, research ethics
and public health ethics. Dr. Upshur has held peer reviewed grants from the
CIHR to study ethical issues related to SARS, and two grants related to ethical
issues in pandemic preparedness. In addition, he is the PI of an NIH funded
grant entitled Masters of Health Sciences in International Research Ethics.
He has also consulted to the WHO on issues related to ethics and infectious
diseases. He has extensive experience in course development and experience
in teaching in international settings, to diverse health care professionals
and basic scientists.
Eric
Meslin is the Director of the Indiana University Center
for Bioethics. In the late 1990’s he was Executive Director
of the US National Bioethics Advisory Commission, a federal
advisory committee that advised the White House on a range
of bioethical issues. NBAC was the first national bioethics
body to undertake a serious review of the ethical issues
that arise in international research. Its report on this
subject, along with those from the UK and other countries,
made some critical contributions to the discussion about
capacity building in international research ethics. Indiana
University and Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya have
had a two decade long relationship, known as the IU-Kenya
Partnership which includes a large HIV prevention and treatment
program known as AMPATH (Academic Model for the Prevention
and Treatment of HIV/AIDS). This partnership now includes
research and training bioethics. In 2003 they jointly convened
a workshop on ethical issues in research that led to an
IU-Moi Memorandum of Understanding on Research Ethics,
and developed a number of publications on related topics
in international research ethics. Dr. Meslin is PI on a
new four-year R25 grant from the Fogarty Center at the
NIH entitled, “The Indiana University-Moi University Academic
Research Ethics Partnership (IU-Moi AREP)” a curriculum
development and training initiative.
Knowledge
Translation:
Knowledge Translation (KT) is the final goal of all research, for without KT
there can be no action. In addition to the priority placed on publishing the
findings from the trainees major research program, one of the goals of all of
the academic exercises is manage the knowledge created. This has been realized
as a number of the Infectious Minds topics and the research practica
that have been written up and published (see list of publications: Oyugi, Larcombe,
Green) including in the lay press(21). The PHAC’s National Collaborating Centre
for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) has KT of infectious disease issues as one of
its core mandates. The NCCID is a partner in the Training Program and will
take the lead in informing the trainees about what KT is, and why it is so
important. This will be achieved through lectures and workshops provided to
the Training Program and also by serving as a practicum site for hands-on experience.
As well, through the NCCID’s various national forums, opportunities will be provided
for trainees of the program to participate in knowledge translation experiences.
Professional
Skills Development:
Professional skills development is mainly achieved through the "Ecology of Infectious Diseases" (EcoID) course,
where the entire second part of the course is focused on skills development.
Topics in this section of the course include: research design and statistics,
research ethics, administration databases, effective research communication,
intellectual property, research commercialization, grant writing and mock grant
review panels. Other workshops to aid in professional development will included
a career development workshop, “How to negotiate for that first job” and “Project
management – what is it and why should a researcher know about it?”
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