Research Ethics Webinar Series

Series Summary

There is wide recognition that responsible human subjects research requires careful consideration of a number of ethical issues, including balancing risks and benefits, avoiding exploitation, and promoting scientifically valuable research. IRBs are designed to assess these and other issues before research is conducted. However, like all governance systems, IRB review and other oversight mechanisms do not always conform to the ideals. IRBs can sometimes be too lenient, allowing research to go through that is ethically problematic; or, IRBs can be too strict, imposing requirements and delaying research conduct without good justification.

This webinar series consists of four sessions and will explore, through a deep-dive into four specific topics in research ethics, how IRBs and the research enterprise can best achieve this balance. The series will consist of talks by experts at the National University of Singapore’s Centre for Biomedical Ethics, followed by an open Q&A for participants to broaden the discussion.

Speakers

Dr G. Owen Schaefer

Assistant Professor

CBmE, NUS

Professor Jerry Menikoff

Professor

CBmE, NUS

Professor Julian Savulescu

Director

CBmE, NUS

Dr Sumytra Menon

Deputy Director

CBmE, NUS

Who should attend

IRB members/secretariat, researchers, clinician-scientists, and others involved in oversight/regulation of research

Delivery Mode

Webinar via Zoom

Session Duration

1 hour 

Session Dates & Time

16 Aug, 30 Aug, 13 Sep & 27 Sep 2023, 12.00pm-1.00pm

Registration fee

There is no registration fee

Note: This Webinar series concluded in September 2023. However, you can peruse the recordings of the sessions via the links below.

Contact Persons

What Counts as Research?

by Dr G. Owen Schaefer
and Professor Jerry Menikoff

What is and is not research has substantial implications for ethical conduct as well as regulatory compliance. In this session, we will summarize Singaporean standards concerning what is and is not research, with implications for what does and does not require IRB review. Along the way, we will also address the question of what do to in ‘ambiguous’ cases, where a project may straddle the research-practice or research-QI divide. This discussion will be enriched by discussion of cases drawn from actual experience of stakeholders.

    Risks in Research

    by Professor Jerry Menikoff
    and Professor Julian Savulescu

    Assessing risks of a study is one of the central tasks of IRBs in protecting participants. This session will outline the notion of risks, the distinction between study and standard-of-care risks, and the special category of ‘minimal risks’.

      Assessing Scientific Validity

      by Dr G. Owen Schaefer

      IRBs in Singapore and elsewhere are given scope to review all aspects of study design, and often give comments related to scientific matters such as articulation of aims and sample size calculation. This session will outline why scientific validity is properly a part of IRB review. Understanding the purpose of such review will also help shed light on its limitations – where the IRB can reasonably insist on changes, and where deferment to researchers is appropriate.

        Coercion, Incentives and Inducement

        by Professor Jerry Menikoff
        and Dr Sumytra Menon

        In Singapore, there is limited national guidance on payment to research participants, leaving considerable IRB and researcher discretion. This session will outline the general ethical debate surrounding incentives and ‘undue inducement’. In particular, recent developments in the international literature will be highlighted that have put pressure on the notion that overpayment is a serious ethical concern.