Research Ethics for Global Health

Catalog description

Contemporary health research is conducted in a global context. The global nature of health research expresses itself in various ways. There are multinational clinical trials; patients in one country benefit from health research conducted in another country; priority setting in health research by pharmaceutical companies and affluent countries affects the possibilities of less affluent countries to respond to disease; etc. The global nature of health research poses specific ethical challenges from the perspective of global health. Global health has been defined as ?an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide? (Koplan, Bond, Merson et al. 2009). In this course, we will study research ethics from the particular perspective of global health. To do so, we will not just analyze protection of human subjects in health research, but, also, look at the broader impact that health research has on societies, particularly in developing countries. Throughout the course, India will serve as an example to illustrate how multinational health research often disproportionally benefits developed countries at the expense of poorer countries and how vulnerable populations in developing countries frequently bear the burdens of research with little prospect of substantial long-term benefits for these populations. At the same time, the case of India shows what steps can be taken to reduce international disparities in health research. Throughout the course, students will develop a thorough understanding of healthcare in India and the ways in which healthcare in developing countries like India poses particular ethical challenges for health research. Graduate students will study an additional book which they will integrate in a 25-page final essay.