Research Ethics

Research Ethics Service

The Research Ethics Service is co-led by Kayte Spector-Bagdady, JD, MBioethicsAssociate Director at the Center for Bioethics & Social Sciences in Medicine, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Dr. Naomi Laventhal, MD, MAClinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases in the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. The service has a Research Ethics Committee that is run by Chair, Kayte Spector-Bagdady, JD, MBioethics, and Vice Chair Robert Silbergleit, MD, Professor of Emergency Medicine. The Research Ethics Service aims to enable a culture of normative, empirical, and educational inquiry to serve as the ethical backbone of research at Michigan Medicine. Its three areas of focus include:

1. Education: providing instruction on Research Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research;
2. Consultation: offering a consulting service for colleagues with questions about the ethical conduct of research; 
3. Research: using a variety of methods to study issues in Research Ethics.

Research Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research Education

Coursework and independent projects into research ethics and the responsible conduct of research may be available upon request. Current courses include the Responsible Conduct of Research for K Awardees (RCR4K) Implementation Package offered through the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) and Legal Rules and Ethical Issues for Clinical Research (HMP 540) through the Clinical Research Design and Statistic Analysis Masters Program at the UM School of Public Health.

Research Ethics Consultation Service

Personalized Research Ethics Consultation may be available during normal business hours for investigators across Michigan Medicine designing or conducting their own research protocols. For further information or to request a consultation please contact kaytesb@med.umich.edu.

Mixed Methods Research into Human Subjects Research Ethics

The Program in Research Ethics also supports a vibrant mixed-methods empirical program for research on human subjects research ethics.