Updated November 2003

Summary

The Fogarty International Center, in partnership with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the National Institute of Environmental Sciences, and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research  currently support eleven International Bioethics Education and Career Development awards and three planning grants for developing country institutions.  (See list below.)  

On August 5, 2003, the Fogarty International Center (FIC), in partnership with the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Sciences, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, announced a new request for applications  (RFA TW04-001) from nonprofit, private or public, domestic or international, educational and research institutions to develop or expand current graduate curricula and training opportunities in international bioethics related to performing research on acute and chronic diseases in low- and middle-income nations.  Please click here to access the RFA in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.

Objectives of the Program

1)   To improve the quality of international ethics training by supporting the development of courses to provide the skills for teaching and research related to bioethics and the conduct of medical research in developing countries.

2)   To support the advance training of developing country professionals who can assume the roles and responsibilities of bioethicists involved in ethical review or clinical trial design in research and clinical investigations in their countries

3)   Develop and provide intensive short courses specifically designed for individuals directly involved in human subjects research ethical review and in conducting clinical trials in developing countries

Developing country candidates for training will be selected by the applicant institutions.  Trainees may include postdoctoral behavioral or biomedical scientists, physicians, dentists, nurses, midwives, ethics review committee members, hospital directors and health policy makers as well as ethicists or philosophers with no prior experience in biomedical/clinical research.  

Current Programs, Directors, Institutions and Descriptions

University of Toronto MHSc. in International Bioethics
Program Director: Dr. Peter Singer
University of Toronto
Joint Centre for Bioethics
88 College Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5G-1L4
Telephone: 416-978-4756
Fax: 416-978-1911
E-mail: peter.singer@utoronto.ca
Description of Training: Four trainees will be selected each year through the recruitment assistance of the International Clinical Epidemiology Network (INCLEN), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Advisory Committee composed of faculty from Makerere University in Uganda, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Philosophy, Prince Songkhla University in Thailand and the Aga Khan University in Pakistan. Trainees will complete eight months of course work (8 courses and a research practicum) in general bioethics and international research bioethics including one week at the Department of Clinical Bioethics of the Warren Magnusons Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. resulting in an MHSc. in Bioethics.  This will be followed by sixteen months of mentored research, educational and leadership bioethics activities in trainee’s home country culminating in a one-month internship at the World Health Organization in Geneva.

Bioethics Training for Developing Country Professionals and Researchers
Program Director: Dr. Nancy Kass
Associate Program Director: Dr. Adnan Hyder
Johns Hopkins University
School of Public Health
624 North Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21205
Telephone: 410-955-0310
Fax: 410-614-9567
E-mail: Dr. Kass: nkass@jhsph.edu  Dr. Hyder: ahyder@jhsph.edu
Website: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/bioethics/
Description of Training: Three fellows per year will be selected primarily from Sub-Saharan Africa for one year of training which includes six months of course work (four core bioethics courses plus research methodology courses), participation in IRB meetings and seminars at Johns Hopkins and NIH, the Intensive Bioethics Course at Georgetown University and the Johns Hopkins Epidemiology and Biostatistics Intensive Summer Institute.  Fellows will then return to their home countries for a mentored, independent six-month practicum.  During 2002 and 2003 one fellow per year will be enrolled in a two year masters program (MHS) in international health with a concentration in bioethics serving as a research assistant during their first year and then completing a one year mentored practicum in their home country.  Two workshops will be offered in Africa in collaboration with the African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network.

A Training Program in Research Ethics in the Americas
Program Director: Dr. Ruth Macklin
Co-Director: Dr. Florencia Luna
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx, New York 10461
Telephone: 718-430-3574
Fax: 718-430-8780
E-mail: macklin@aecom.yu.edu, florluna@pccp.com.ar
Description of Training: The training program selects four trainees from Latin America each year, who spend eight months in Buenos Aires. The program has three main elements: 1) Required and elective courses; 2) Attendance at meetings of several different research ethics committees; and 3) Two individual projects mentored by Drs. Macklin and Luna. Guest lecturers and preceptors include internationally renowned bioethicists and researchers from the U.S., Mexico, Chile, and Brazil. A central feature of the program is a newly designed course in international research ethics, highlighting recent controversies in this field. Mechanisms are established for ongoing communication among trainees who have participated in this training program.

Harvard International Bioethics Training Program
Program Director: Dr. Richard Cash
Harvard School of Public Health
677 Huntington Avenue Rm. 1106 Building 1
Boston, MA 02115-6021
Telephone: 617-432-1076
Fax: 617-566-0365
E-mail: racash@hsph.harvard.edu
Website: www.hsph.harvard.edu/bioethics
Description of Training: Four fellows per year will take a series of courses and a 10-month seminar series on ethical issues in international health research as well as attend IRB committee meetings and spend one week at the Department of Clinical Bioethics of the Warren Magnusons Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health.  Trainees will develop workshops and a research project to be completed in their home country during the second year, which will culminate in a one-month workshop at the World Health Organization in Geneva.  Individuals from developing countries can apply individually or be nominated for the fellowship by organizations such as the International Clinical Epidemiology Network (INCLEN), the Forum for Ethical Review Committees in Asia and the Western Pacific (FERCAP), the Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

International Bioethics Training Program
Program Director: Dr. Sana Loue
Case Western Reserve University
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7015
Telephone: 216-778-8475
Fax: 216-778-8297
E-mail: sxl54@po.cwru.edu
Description of Training: Four fellows per year will complete a 27 credit hour non-thesis M.A. in Bioethics program which includes an online interactive research ethics course a clinical ethics rotation and analysis of case studies in international research ethics as well as weekly research seminars, monthly research dinners, research proposal development and one month of independent study at the Hastings Center.  Each year a short course will be offered at one of the collaborating foreign institutions in Uganda, Russia, Romania or Nigeria.

International Research Ethics Network for Southern Africa (IRENSA)
Program Director: Dr. Solomon Benatar
University of Cape Town
Department of Medicine
J Floor GSH
Old Main Building Rooms 47-49
Observatory, 7925 Western Cape, South Africa
Telephone: 27-21-406-6115
Fax: 27-21-448-6815
E-mail: sbenatar@uctgsh1.uct.ac.za
Website: www.irensa.org
Description of training: Solomon Benatar at the University of Cape Town, South Africa will direct the International Research Ethics Network for Southern Africa (IRENSA).  The goal of this initiative is to develop and nourish sustainable multidisciplinary expertise in international research ethics and bioethics in the region. The faculty is a multidisciplinary group from six institutions in four countries. Over the course of four years, the program will provide a gender-balanced cadre of forty-eight developing country scientists, academics, clinicians and Research Ethics Committee members with specialized, graduate level training in ethical, social and legal principles. The training is designed to guide responsible conduct of research on vulnerable subjects in the cross-cultural context of African countries.  The IRENSA website (www.irensa.org) contains specific course and enrollment information.

South African Research Ethics Training Initiative
Program Director: Dr. Carel Ijsselmuiden
Program Co-Directors: Dr Mariana Kruger (Pretoria), Dr Doug Wassenaar (Natal), Dr Nancy Kass (Baltimore)
School of Health Systems and Public Health
University of Pretoria
P.O. Box 667
Pretoria 0001, South Africa
Telephone: 27-12-841-3240
Fax: 27-12-841-3240
E-mail: carel@medic.up.ac.za
Description of training:   Carel IJsselmuiden of the University of Pretoria in South Africa will work with collaborators from the School of Psychology, University of Natal, South Africa and the Bloomberg School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD on a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, Africa-based education and training program in health research ethics. The collaborative project will be known as the South African Research Ethics Training Initiative (SARETI). The overall goal of SARETI is to build African capacity for the ethical review of health research, and to strengthen Africa's institutional training capacity necessary to achieve and maintain this aim. SARETI training comprises a multidisciplinary, modular Masters degree track with funding for 9 trainees over the 4 year period of the award; an advanced, non-degree Certificate Program with funding for 16 trainees; and a funded training program for 40 Ethics Review Committee members.  Modules presented as part of the SARETI program are also open to non-SARETI funded participants.

Training in Research Bioethics
Program Director: Dr. Harun-Ar-Rashid
Bangladesh Medical Research Council
IPH Building (2nd floor)
Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212
Bangladesh
Telephone: (8802) 882-8396
Fax: (8802) 882-8820
E-mail: bmrc@citechco.net
Website: http://www.aku.edu/bioethics/index.htm 
Description of training: Harun-Ar-Rashid  of the Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) and colleagues will implement Training on Research Bioethics (TORB) to improve ethical practice with regards to health research. The project focuses on the training and capacity building of professionals involved in health research in Bangladesh and Kazakhstan. It encompasses three major areas: curriculum development for courses/ workshop on research bioethics; training on research bioethics for multidisciplinary participants; and supporting relevant studies on research ethics. 

Monash University Master of International Research Bioethics
Program Director: Dr. Bebe Loff
Monash University
Alfred Hospital
Prahran
Victoria, 3181
Australia
Telephone: 613-99030587
Fax: 613 99030576
E-mail: Bebe.Loff@Med.monash.edu.au
Description of training: Beatrice Loff and colleagues at Monash Medical School in Australia will work with collaborators from a broad consortium of universities in Melbourne, Australia to establish the Monash University Master of International Research Bioethics. The objectives of this program include the following:  to strengthen bioethics capacity in low and middle income countries in the Asia Pacific Region; to provide a comprehensive research bioethics program focused on the ethics of conducting research in low and middle income countries in the Asia Pacific region; and to provide the foundation for sustained collaboration in research bioethics between Australian and partner institutions in the Asia Pacific region. The program will include the comprehensive, interdisciplinary training of a group of trainees annually from low and middle-income countries in the Asia Pacific with demonstrated capacity to benefit from the Master of International Research Ethics offered at Monash University and who are likely to assume positions of leadership upon completion of the degree.

Planning grants:

Centrally Coordinated Bioethics Program for India
Program Director: Dr. Nandini Kumar
Assistant Director General
Indian Council of Medical Research
Ansari Nagar
New Delhi- 110029
India
Telephone/Fax: 91-11-26589791
E-mail: nadkku@hotmail.com
Description of training: Nandini Kumar and collaborators from the Indian Council of Medical Research will work on a two-year planning project of a centrally coordinated program in bioethics and research ethics in India. The project has the following objectives: to plan development of a uniform national bioethics curriculum for medical students, health professionals and researchers with the overall goal of strengthening the knowledge base in international bioethics and research ethics; to develop a centrally coordinated network of faculty to deliver this curriculum; and to develop a system to modify and improve this curriculum on an ongoing basis.

Pakistan Bioethics Program - Gateway to the Islamic World
Program Director: Dr. Asad Raja
The Aga Khan University
Stadium Road
P.O. Box 3500
Karachi 74800
Pakistan
Telephone: 9221-493-0051
Fax: 9221-493-4294
E-mail: asad.raja@aku.edu
Description of training: Asad Raja and colleagues at the Aga Khan University in Pakistan aim to improve the conduct of human subjects research in Pakistan and the Islamic world by strengthening capacity in bioethics and research ethics. Through this two-year planning project, the team intends to do the following: develop curriculum for a Masters Program in Bioethics; develop and train the human resources necessary for this effort; and develop a network for training faculty, updating curricula, recruiting trainees, and sharing human and material resources amongst national and regional centers.  Additionally, the planning project will lead to the creation of a Bioethics Center at the Aga Khan University.

International Bioethics Education and Career Development Award
Program Director: Dr. Ren-Zong Qui
Department of Medical Ethics
Peking University Health Science Center
38 Xueyuan Road, Haidan District
Beijing 100083
China
Telephone: 86-10-67502263
Fax: 86-10-62010361
E-mail: chenqrz@ihw.com.cn
Description of training: Ren-Zong Qiu and colleagues at the Peking University Health Science Center in Beijing, China will work with collaborators from the University of Chicago, Yale University, the University of California San Francisco, and the University of Minnesota on a two-year planning program. The project will focus on development of a postdoctoral bioethics training program for participants in China who hold advanced degrees in the life sciences or medicine. The program will include a six-month field study at a U.S. institution.  Additionally, the team will develop a master’s program that also includes a six-month field study at a university or clinical institution in the United States, as well as a two-week workshop for Chinese bioethics leaders.

Inquiries

Inquiries are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issues or questions is welcome. Please direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Amanda Percival
Program Specialist
Division of International Training and Research
Fogarty International Center
National Institutes of Health
Building 31, Room B2C39
31 Center Drive, MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
Telephone: (301) 402-7614
FAX: (301) 402-0779
E-mail: Percival@mail.nih.gov

Please direct inquiries regarding grants management and fiscal matters to:
Bruce Butrum
Grants Management Officer
Fogarty International Center
Building 31, Room B2C39
31 Center Drive, MSC 2220
Bethesda, MD 20892-2220
Telephone: (301) 496-1670
FAX: (301) 594-1211
E-mail: butrumb@mail.nih.gov

Archive
The first International Bioethics Education and Career Development Award Request for Applications (RFA: TW-00-008) was posted to the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts March 13, 2000.

The second International Bioethics Education and Career Development Award REquest for Applications (RFA-TW-02-008) was posted to the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts August 5, 2001. 

NIH News Release — October 17, 2000: Initial Awards Announced Under New International Bioethics Education and Career Development Award

In the News: April - June 2001 Issues in Medical Ethics — The Global Forum for Bioethics in Research: report of a meeting

In the News: March 31, 2001 British Medical Journal — Beyond Helsinki: a vision for global health ethics

In the News: November 3, 2000 Science Magazine — New Guidelines Promise Stronger Bioethics

In the News: October 30, 2000 The Lancet — Forum develops ideas for a global strategy for bioethics research