Project Goals and
Overview
We propose to develop a graduate-level training program in research
ethics that will be a joint collaboration between The College of Medicine of
the University of Malawi and Michigan State University. This program will
train Malawian (and other African) professionals, coming from a variety of
academic disciplines, as teachers and investigators in research ethics,
thereby building the capacity for much-needed work in research ethics in
Africa.
We have two primary goals. The first is development of an indigenous
community of scholars in Malawi and elsewhere in the region who will
become active contributors to the literature of international research ethics,
speaking to issues which are of particular relevance for Africa. Second is
development of an indigenous curriculum relevant to research ethics which
can attract talented African students to an academic career in bioethics. As
we pursue these primary goals, we will also aim to encourage a mutually
beneficial dialogue on bioethics between US and African scholars that can
become the basis of future international research and teaching
collaborations.
There is an increasing amount of clinical research in Africa, creating a
great need for African-centered scholarship in research ethics. However,
there is little scholarly capacity in African to do this, and to date, few efforts
have been made by African scholars to carry out specifically African
inquiries. Further, outside of South Africa there is at present in Africa a lack
of opportunity for advanced training in research ethics, except for short
courses in ethical theory or training modules for Institutional Review Board
(IRB) members. While such courses are useful, what is needed by both
Africa and the general bioethics community is academic research in African
research ethics B both empirical investigations and normative scholarship B
that is of a high quality, suitable for publication, and a sound basis for further
research.
It is important that systematic ethical reflection and empirical
research be done in the African context B to gather data about relevant
cultural matters, and also so that ethical reflection can be focused on the
real problems on the ground, in the cultural context in Africa. Developing
this knowledge is important for researchers in Africa, but also for bioethicists
in other parts of the world.
Thus, the proposed project in Malawi aims to help develop capacity in
research ethics scholarship. This capacity- building will take two forms.
First, we will assist the development of sustainable curricula in research
ethics for use in African universities. It is only through exposure to courses
and faculty mentors that upcoming generations of African university
students are likely to consider an academic career in research ethics for
themselves. Second, we will encourage the pursuit of original scholarship
among African scholars who will study research ethics in the African context,
and will publish their work in both African and international journals. In this
way, an African scholarly community in research ethics can begin to be built.
In outline, our proposal is as follows. We will recruit trainees who
already occupy responsible university or institutional positions that provide
opportunities both for teaching new advanced-level courses, and for
conducting research and scholarship. Trainees will hold an advanced degree
in a relevant discipline, and show promise of scholarly or research potential.
Trainees will come to Michigan State University to take advanced-level
courses specific to their core discipline and their planned area of research,
and will be matched with an MSU mentor to advise them on development of
their research project. Trainees will then return to Malawi, where further
coursework will focus on issues specific to research ethics. These courses
will be developed and taught by Malawi-based scholars, including a visiting
professor who will provide the additional faculty capacity needed at the
University of Malawi. Trainees will implement their research projects in
Malawi, advised there by a Malawi-based scholar, and also (electronically) by
their MSU mentor. In consultation with their mentors, trainees will also
develop plans for a course related to issues in research ethics that can be
offered through the trainee’s home institution upon their return. Toward the
end of the trainee’s research project, the MSU mentor will travel to Malawi
to join the Malawi-based mentor for 10 days. Together, they will work
intensively with the trainee to develop a final research report that will be
suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. They will also help the
trainee finalize the planned course syllabus. Trainees will receive a certificate
of completion once all course work is completed, their research report has
been accepted for publication, and they have successfully taught their course.
Because our goals require intensive and individualized mentoring by
experienced faculty, we will recruit only four trainees over the course of this
project.
