The Responsible Conduct of Research
(MED 255 and MED 255C)
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course is designed to engage participants in productive discussions about ethical issues that are commonly encountered during their research careers. This course is required for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who are supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Many departments and programs also recommend or require this course as part of their curricula.
The objectives of both courses are:
- To engage participants in case-based discussions of ethical issues commonly encountered in, and raised by, current biomedical research.
- To introduce participants to methods of analysis of ethical issues
- To introduce participants to policies and regulations relevant to the conduct of research.
There are two sections of RCR: MED 255 and MED 255C
MED 255, The Responsible Conduct of Research, has been designed specifically to engage bench researchers in productive discussions about ethical issues commonly encountered during their scientific research careers, and addresses contemporary debates at the interface of biomedical science and society.
Topics covered include:
(1) Authorship and inventorship; (2) Data integrity and information; (3) Conflicts of interest; (4) Regulatory basics; (5) Human subjects research; (6) Human biological materials; and (7) Societal responsibility.
MED 255C, The Responsible Conduct of Research for Clinical Researchers, has been designed specifically to engage clinical researchers in productive discussions about ethical issues commonly encountered during their clinical research careers, and addresses contemporary debates at the interface of biomedical science and society. All who are, or will be, conducting clinical research are encouraged to attend.
Topics covered include:
(1) Clinical research versus clinical care; (2) Protecting human subjects; (3) Conflicts of interest in clinical research; (4) Returning research results and incidental findings; (5) Human biological materials and biobanking; (6) Community consent and recruitment; and (7) Ethical issues in placebo versus active control trials.
Registration:
Because these courses fill very quickly, we strongly encourage you to enroll for the course you want on the day that Axess opens for the term in which you wish to take the course. Postdocs and others unable to register via Axess should email med255rcr@stanford.edu on the day Axess opens for the term. We are unable to keep a waitlist from term to term.
MED 255 Instructors:
David Magnus, PhD
Thomas A. Raffin Professor of Medicine & Biomedical Ethics
Holly Tabor, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Maren Grainger Monsen, PhD
Senior Research Scholar
Katrina Karkazis, PhD
Senior Research Scholar
MED 255C Instructor:
Randall Stafford, PhD
Professor, Medicine - Stanford Prevention Research Center