International Bioethics Training Program

The goal of this training program is to build the capacity of scientists in developing countries to address ethical issues arising in the context of international health research in their countries. This goal will be achieved through collaboration with colleagues at: Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda; St. Petersburg State University in Russia; Universitatea Vest 'Visele Goldis' in Arad, Romania; and the University of Ibadan, in Ibadan, Nigeria, Loyola University of Chicago; Howard University; Yale University; and The Hastings Center. The specific objectives of the proposal are: 1. to train and educate scientists and health and allied health professionals and government officials from the collaborating countries in the field of research ethics; 2. to develop and promote leadership in research ethics within the participating countries; and 3. to encourage the exchange of ideas and collaboration between participating institutions. These objectives will be realized through the implementation of a one year multidisciplinary program of degree and non-degree education and training experiences based in the United States and in each of the participating sites. The centerpiece of the program will be graduate training in international research ethics at Case Western Reserve University, which will culminate for each trainee with the receipt of a Master's degree in bioethics. In-country short courses will be developed in a manner that is responsive to the needs of each participating site and will help to build the capacity to conduct local, independent training in bioethics and oversight of research. The CWRU International Bioethics Education and Career builds on the existing Fogarty training programs of two of the collaborating institutions (CWRU and Yale), which have been the first to introduce research ethics training as a formal component of their scientific curriculum.