APPE Releases Report on Strategies to Improve Research Integrity and Accountability

APPE recently released a report, based on discussions at the National Dialogue on the State of Research Integrity Education, which was held last fall.  

The aims of the Dialogue were to:

1. Characterize historical and current approaches used to teach responsible conduct of research (RCR) and build cultures of research integrity
2. Propose strategies to strengthen the network of accountability within and between relevant partner sectors

At the National Dialogue, participants collectively examined the history of RCR education requirements, as well as the assumptions on which those requirements were based; the continuing challenges to providing robust and meaningful RCR education and creating responsible research cultures; and examples of specific approaches meant to address some of those challenges. Based on these discussions, and considering the deliberations of the breakout groups, they identified and formulated strategies that each partner sector can adopt by themselves and in cooperation with each other to strengthen the network of accountability for research integrity.

A final discussion with all participants resulted in endorsement of 20 strategies. Read them, and more, here.

Interested in learning more? We'll host a webinar on June 21 from 1 to 2 p.m., ET. Registration via Zoom is required in advance.

Join an APPE Committee: Submit by June 10 

We have several opportunities to volunteer with APPE over the coming year on various committees and we are seeking applications now from at-large members. Submit your nomination by June 10, 2024.

APPE Committees are made up of APPE Board Members and Members-At-Large. Committees are reconstituted on an annual basis and members serve one year, renewal terms, which begin on July 1, 2024. Committees include:

• APPE IEB® (Responsible for serving as liaison to the APPE Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl® program and engaging and coordinating with others interested in ethics bowl activities.)
• Conference (Responsible for overseeing the planning and production of the annual conference.)
• Membership (Responsible for recruiting and retaining members, ensuring member satisfaction, and promoting membership benefits.)
• Nominating (Responsible for identifying, vetting, and recommending an annual list of candidates for election to the Board of Directors.)
• Programming (Responsible for overseeing the planning and production of non-conference programming throughout the year.)

Attend the Ethics Bowl Summer Workshop

Current and prospective Ethics Bowl coaches and team members, as well as regional hosts, are encouraged to attend the Ethics Bowl Summer Workshop on July 26 and 27 (12 to 4 p.m., ET). This free, virtual event will feature sessions on topics designed for all types of Ethics Bowlers--coaches, regional hosts, students, newcomers, and veterans. It will also include a mock Ethics Bowl round and breakout discussions.

Annual Conference Updates

• In person: February 20-23, 2025 in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Virtual: March 28, 2025 

APPE Member Spotlight 

Name: Liza Dawson
Title/Organization: Chief of Bioethics, IRB chair, and Research Integrity officer at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)
APPE Member since: 2021

You are a newly elected board member. Congratulations! What does it mean to you to be elected by your peers to serve in this role?
I'm excited to be joining the APPE Board. While I've been a member of numerous oversight bodies and working groups, I haven't served in this type of role previously and I'm excited by the opportunity to think creatively about how to stimulate and support a professional society with such a variety of academic pursuits and membership. I'm relatively new to APPE, and feel grateful to be given an opportunity for greater involvement in the organization as a whole.

What kind of impact do you hope to make as a board member?
My hope is to be able to come up with some creative ideas and strategies that first, help invigorate the society and stimulate more people to join and get involved, and second, stimulate more cross-disciplinary activity from across the different areas of ethics scholarship represented in the association. Having worked in bioethics for about 25 years, I see a lot of silos in particular areas of ethics work, with some areas possibly over-represented in professional groups, and other areas relatively neglected. The landscape for funding for empirical work in ethics is also very uneven. I think there is a lot of room for growth and advocacy for ethics work in academia, in government, and in the private sector and I think APPE can play a vital role along these lines.

What is something you're planning over the summer, personally or professionally, that you're excited about?

This summer I'm going to attend the Oxford Global Health and Bioethics International Conference, in Oxford, where I'll have the opportunity to present some work on public health ethics and meet with scholars from around the world working on global health issues. This is a relatively small meeting but very engaging, providing great opportunities for networking with professionals from various countries and regions.  Apart from work this summer, I'm looking forward to some vacation time with family in New England, getting rested and recharged.

Ethics in the News:

• How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe (ProPublica)
• The Complicated Ethics of Rare-Book Collecting (The Atlantic)
• Morals Versus Ethics: Building An Organizational Culture Of Trust And Transparency (Forbes)

APPE Member News

• APPE Board Member Earl Spurgin recently received the 2024 Distinguished Faculty Award from John Carroll University. Congratulations Earl!

Jobs & Events

Have you seen our job and event emails? Limited free access to post jobs and events of interest in the weekly email (as well as in the Info Hub) is a benefit of membership. If you're a member and would like to submit something for consideration, just login to the Member portal, go to Job & Event Postings and click "add." Non-members can access the jobs and events by creating a login but must pay a fee to list positions and events. Reach out to contact@appe-ethics.org for more info.

We Want to Hear From You! To be featured as a member spotlight or if you have news to share, including books published, send us an email at membernews@appe-ethics.org.

Ethics Bowl Case to Consider

Thanks for All the Fish!: 2024 APPE IEB® National Case Set

The teenage orcas that have been ramming into boats are back in the news again. While scientists are doubling down on their theory of the activity as a harmless "fad," a case in last year's national case set dug into a different angle--one of revenge--and how that vendetta narrative wasn't just spreading misinformation.

Read the full case set here (#6), then discuss the questions it raises with your colleagues and friends.