Botswana Research Ethics Network: A Cross-National Approach to Ethics Review

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal responds to RFA-OD-10-006, "Program to Enhance NIH-supported Global Health Research Involving Human Subjects." Specifically, this proposal is responsive to the call for a collaborative effort among IRBs in the U.S. and developing countries to "Increase administrative, scientific, socio-cultural and ethical competencies of IRB members and staff related to research reviewed by both IRBs through joint workshops, short-term exchange and training activities." It is clear that greater communication between IRB staff and members in developing countries and their counterparts in the U.S. and other developed countries can facilitate a collaborative approach to training and improving the capacity and quality of local review, as well as increasing the cultural and socioeconomic competencies of IRB staff and members in developed countries. The first step in establishing collaborative programs is to establish relationships and communications channels amongst IRBs. We will bring together representatives of IRBs, researchers, and other stakeholders in Botswana and U.S. institutions that have large research activities ongoing in Botswana - the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard School of Public Health, Baylor College of Medicine, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A set of week-long meetings in Gaborone and in Philadelphia will focus on identifying the ethical, procedural, and cultural challenges that have faced researchers and IRBs, explore strategies to facilitate communications and promote collaborative reviews, and develop an implementation plan. The aims of this project are to lay the foundation for a Botswana Research Ethics Network that will: 1. facilitate ongoing communications among IRBs in Botswana and IRBs at U.S. based institutions with major research activities in Botswana; 2. enhance scientific, ethical, and cultural awareness and competencies of IRB staff and members in Botswana and the U.S.; and 3. develop methods that support an ongoing collaborative review process among involved IRBs and a plan for their implementation. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This project will open communication channels and facilitate collaboration among IRB staff and members in Botswana and their counterparts at U.S. institutions that have large research activities ongoing in Botswana. A set of week-long meetings in Gaborone and in Philadelphia will focus on identifying the ethical, procedural, and cultural challenges that have faced researchers and IRBs, explore strategies to facilitate communications and promote collaborative reviews, and develop an implementation plan. This effort will improve the capacity and quality of local review and increase the cultural and socioeconomic competencies of IRB staff and members in the U.S., resulting in higher quality ethical review of research.