Начало / Университетът / Факултети / Биологически факултет / Архив / Преподаватели и служители / Двугодишно дистанционно обучение по етика на научните изследвания

   

Research Ethics at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine

Certificate Program Scholarship Application Information

This Certificate Program is sponsored by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York) in partnership with the University of Belgrade School of Medicine (Serbia). It is supported by NIH Research Grant 2R25TW008171-06A1 funded by the Fogarty International Center, U.S. National Institute of Health.

By pooling the combined resources of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University of Belgrade, School of Medicine we are offering an educational program for clinicians, biomedical researchers and other professionals from the Balkans and Black Sea countries. This training will provide the knowledge and skills to enable trainees to become leaders and spearhead the development of research ethics infrastructure and regulation in the region. The training will utilize both traditional and innovative methods involving face-to-face and distance learning seminars to teach research ethics. We shall focus on developing competencies and nurturing the essential attitudes that trustworthy researchers should have.

Our trainees will be individuals who are in positions to become leaders in research ethics for their institutions or countries. We expect trainees to go on to serve their research communities by serving on research ethics committees (RECs) or Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), teaching, and developing and implementing mechanisms to assure the ethical conduct of research.

The eleven-course curriculum is designed to develop expertise in research ethics. It will begin with an intensive two-week introductory, session July 1-12, 2019, on the campus of the University of Belgrade, School of Medicine. That will be followed by three on-line 10 week courses spread over the academic year. In June 2020 the group will reconvene in Belgrade for a one-week practicum. Again, that will be followed by two on-line 10 week courses and a period for completing a mentored independent project that is to be presented during the final one week capstone seminar in July 2021. Each course will be co-led by faculty from regional institutions and faculty from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. All courses will be taught as seminars in order to encourage discussion and interaction.

This Research Ethics Education Program will be conducted in English. Competency in speaking, reading, and writing English is required. Access to a computer and high speed internet connection is required for participation.

Scholarships will cover tuition and books. For the first year two week on-site session, a stipend of US $400 for those residing in the Belgrade area, or US $1,500 for those traveling from outside of the Belgrade area, will be provided to defray the cost of transportation and room and board. Stipends will also be provided for the on-site seminar participation during the second and third years.

The Program is open to anyone administering, conducting, or teaching research methods or research ethics including: bioethicists, biomedical scientists, clinicians, ethics committee members, institutional review board members, lawyers, managers, nurses, philosophers, physicians, researchers and social scientists. Applications will be considered in an ongoing basis. Applications will be accepted up until Monday, February 18th, 2019. Completed applications should be sent to Karen.Smalls@mssm.edu. Skype interviews will then be scheduled. Admission decisions will be sent within two weeks of the interviews.

Program Competency Objectives:

The eleven-course syllabus is designed to develop expertise in research ethics. By the end of this comprehensive curriculum, program participants should be able to:

- Refer to the historical evolution of research ethics and the development of protections for human subjects.

- Explain basic concepts of research ethics to others.

- Identify and employ the guiding principles of research ethics.

- Evaluate clinical studies in terms of ethical considerations.

- Review the research ethics literature and use it in addressing questions related to the ethics of clinical research.

- Justify decisions about the ethical conduct of research in terms of reasons that other reasonable clinician-scientists could accept.

- Contribute original insights to the assessment of research protocols and to the research ethics literature.

- Design and teach a course in research ethics.

- Provide leadership in establishing and running institutional research ethics activities.

 

Scholarship Qualifications:

  • A degree beyond the BA or BS
  • Administrative, teaching, research, or clinical experience relevant to research ethics
  • Evidence of institutional support for the trainee to apply their training within their home institution

Selection Criteria:

  • Relevant experience in research involving human subjects, or research ethics, or bioethics
  • Previous accomplishments, including publications and projects
  • Institutional role

Application Process:

Applicants must submit a completed and signed Scholarship Application Form , a current curriculum vitae (maximum 10 pages), and two letters of reference, including one from a Dean or a Department Chair at your current institution. A Skype interview will also be required before acceptance in the program.

Curriculum:

Introductory Session (two weeks at UBMS, July 2019) – During this intensive two-week introductory session trainees and faculty will engage in activities and discussions to introduce participants to each other and to build a scholarly community.

#1 Methods of Research (one weeks) - This intensive course will provide trainees with a background in research methodology that will allow them to competently review proposals submitted to an IRB. It will present a survey of clinical research methods, starting with definitions of variables and study designs and progressing to practical matters such as prospective versus retrospective study designs, selection of subjects, outcomes and analysis methods, as well as economic analyses and outcomes research.

#2 Introduction to the Ethics of Medicine (one week) - This course will provide a perspective on the ethics of medicine and an account of basic principles of medical ethics. This background is important for enabling students to comprehend clinical responsibilities, to distinguish them from the responsibilities of a researcher, and to sort out what needs to be done when an individual has both responsibilities at once.

#3 History of Research Ethics and Critical Assessment of Codes (one week) - This course will review the defining history that shapes contemporary research ethics and then critically review the various international codes and declarations that have formed contemporary understanding of the ethical conduct of human subject research.

#4 Responsible Conduct of Research: The Ethics of Science (one week) - This course will provide training in research integrity and professionalism.

Year 1 Three Distance Learning Courses (8 weeks each, September 2019-May 2020) - This series of courses will cover the key issues in research ethics. Readings, written assignments and on-line threaded discussions will be incorporated into each course. In addition, each student will select a subject from this sequence as the topic for a presentation at the July 2020 Practicum.

#5 Basic Concepts in Research Ethics - This course will focus on clarifying the basic concepts governing the ethical conduct of human subject research ethics.

#6 Populations and Regulations in Research Ethics - This course will address special populations such as children, the mentally ill, prisoners, animals, and factors that should be considered when these cohorts are used as research subjects.

#7 The Ethics of International and Public Health Research - In an era of global business and global health concerns, issues of international research ethics, public health and health services research come to the fore. Similarly, advances in genetics have brought us to the threshold of population genetics and personalized medicine which require the ethical use of gene and tissue banks. The Ethics of International and Public Health Research will take up these issues as advanced topics in research ethics.

Practicum (one week at UBMS, July 2020) - Students will reassemble for another intensive week and complete two skill-based courses.

#8 Teaching Research Ethics (one week) - This course will draw on theories of adult learning to develop skills in planning and delivering effective presentations on research ethics. These sessions will provide trainees with the practical experience of presenting on research ethics. Faculty will offer guidance on constructive feedback.

#9 The Organization and Conduct of an IRB (one week) - An Institutional Review Board (IRB) is a committee charged with ensuring the rights and welfare of research participants. This course is designed to provide learners with the tools and skills to apply principles to research review, establish an IRB, effectively conduct initial and continuing protocol review, and to conduct IRB meetings in their own regions and countries.

Year 2 Two Distance Learning Courses (8 weeks each, September 2020-March 2021) to be announced

Independent Project

#12 Independent Mentored Project in Research Ethics (April 2021 - June 2021) Each student will complete a mentored project.

Capstone Session (one week at UBMS, July 2021) Trainees will present their independent projects and participate in the final seminar..

#13 Writing Grants and Papers for Publication (one week) - This practicum will provide trainees with skills training to help them develop a framework for organizing their efforts in applying for grants and submitting papers for publication.

Presentation of Independent Mentored Projects (one week)