PAST CHI PROGRAMS

RESEARCH ETHICS TRAINING

Ethical behavior in science and health care-related research is a worldwide concern. The goal of this initiative was to develop research ethics leaders in Southeast Asia to meet the emerging research and health system evaluation demands of societies undergoing rapid transition. An R25 grant from the US National Institutes of Health allowed scholars from academic biomedical institutions in Thailand and Vietnam to conduct anonymous needs assessment surveys and receive training from professors at Stanford University and the Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center.

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The training program delivered a 2-year Masters level curriculum that included onsite, online, and annual regional meetings. Scholars regularly discussed cases that addressed key issues in the responsible conduct of research. These issues included regulatory basics in Thailand and Vietnam, international guidelines and policies, aspects of human subjects research such as use of placebo or sham controls, informed consent and community engagement, the use of human biological materials and medical records, data sharing, ancillary care responsibilities to research participants in low- and middle-income countries, conflicts of interest and academic-industry research partnerships in multi-national clinical studies, research integrity and reproducibility, intellectual property, and authorship responsibilities. The course also discussed the concept of societal responsibility and what that meant in the context of trainees’ local environments and cultures, as well as identified and addressed institutional structures, incentives, and cultural factors that facilitated or hindered researchers’ responsible conduct of research. Finally, the course addressed elements of study design to enhance reproducibility of research and research processes and institutional factors that affect rigor and reproducibility.

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Over four years, the program laid the groundwork for developing regional capacity by training 14 emerging leaders in research ethics. Scholars with RN, PhD, MPH, MD, and PharmD degrees represented 7 universities: Mahidol University, Burapha University, Silpakorn University, Naresuan University in Thailand, and Hanoi Medical University, Ho-Chi-Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Vietnam. Eight of the 14 trainees were women. During the training period, this initiative was the only NIH program serving Southeast Asia to build capacity in research ethics.  

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Additional materials for this NIH Fogarty-sponsored initiative are available at the informational website for the Asia Collaborative for Medical Education (ACME) and the Research Ethics Improvement Network (REIN). This website offers video recordings and presentation slides from the learning sessions for public viewing in order to promote understanding of the importance of ethical behavior in research.