Ethical Translational Research in the Participatory Era: Will the Sociality of Science Take Center Stage?

• In Event: 178 - Regular Session. Ethics and Science

Abstract

Growing public participation in research raises questions about the transformation of concepts and practices of research ethics. In this paper, we use data from an online expert panel to examine the articulation of scientific decision-making, relational processes, and ethics among a diverse group of academic and community-based translational researchers presented with vignettes describing ethical dilemmas common to participatory research projects. We explore whether public participation in research may move some of the social, emotional, and moral work of day-to-day translational science from backstage to center stage. We also examine the ways in which researchers may begin to openly prioritize not only knowledge production but also the relational processes through which knowledge emerges. We conclude by questioning the degree to which participation constitutes a challenge to elite control of scientific practice and leadership.

Authors

• Elizabeth Bromley, UCLA Semel Institute

• Lisa Mikesell, Rutgers University

• Dmitry Khodyakov, RAND