Newly Published Ahead-of-Print Articles from Academic Medicine

The following articles from Academic Medicine are now available online and will appear in the July edition of the journal.

In recent years, the integrity of medical research has been under increased scrutiny.  Reports of potential conflicts of interest from researchers who accept money from pharmaceutical companies, the abuse of human research subjects, and investigations of academic researchers using false credentials have all called into question the validity of medical research.

Several studies in the July edition explore this topic by examining the institutional review boards (IRBs) tasked with ensuring certain ethical standards are upheld in research involving human subjects.  One study focuses on the composition of IRBs and whether the input of community members is effective, as well as whether they are genuinely representative of their constituency.  Another study examines IRB protocol and ascertains that the Common Rule criteria used for all federally funded research are not being followed consistently.  When considering research misconduct overall, a Perspective article concludes that a simple course on ethics will not be sufficient to solve the problem.  The highly competitive nature of the grant process, along with the lack of federal funding, has raised the stakes, and the author recommends a greater focus on mentorship.

“Institutional Review Board Community Members: Who Are They, What Do They Do, and Whom Do They Represent?” by Robert Klitzman, M.D. “How Closely Do Institutional Review Boards Follow the Common Rule?” by Charles W. Lidz, Ph.D., et al. “Research Misconduct: The Search for a Remedy” by Donald S. Kornfeld, M.D.

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Widely cited in its field, Academic Medicine serves as an international forum to advance knowledge about the principles, policy, and practice of research, education, and patient care in academic settings.  This monthly journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges is available online at www.academicmedicine.org. All content in Academic Medicine reflects the views of the author(s) and does not reflect the official policy of the AAMC unless clearly specified.

Tags

Academic Medicine, Common Rule, IRB, Robert Klitzman