{"title":"Artificial Intelligence in Human Participant Research: Ethical Risks and Institutional Policy Considerations.","authors":"Melissa Singer Pressman","doi":"10.1177/15562646261437187","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261437187","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into research presents emerging ethical and governance challenges for institutions overseeing human research. While existing frameworks provide general protections, they offer limited guidance for addressing AI-specific risks related to informed consent, transparency, data privacy, and fairness. This commentary synthesizes key ethical concerns associated with AI-enabled research and examines some implications for institutional policy development and research ethics review. Rather than proposing a comprehensive evaluative framework, this invited commentary examines governance and procedural gaps that complicate implementation of existing AI oversight resources and emphasizes institution-level policy approaches to support consistent, responsible research ethics review. An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate how the absence of clear policy guidance can create ambiguity in research ethics review and researcher practice. The ethical considerations discussed apply broadly to research ethics review systems internationally, including Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), Research Ethics Committees (RECs), and Ethics Review Committees (ERCs).</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"129-133"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147694807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Variables Influencing Willingness to Consent to Low-Risk Study.","authors":"Colleen S Mullins, Christopher Thom","doi":"10.1177/15562646261434107","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261434107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Including diverse populations in clinical research is essential for generalizable findings. Prior studies show lower consent rates among vulnerable populations in higher-risk studies, but whether these trends apply to minimal-risk studies has not been explored. This study investigated factors influencing consent to a musculoskeletal ultrasound study for extremity injuries in the emergency department. Demographic characteristics, injury severity, interpreter use, and researcher-patient racial concordance were compared between those who consented and declined. Patients were more likely to decline if they were admitted to the hospital (<i>p</i> = 0.002) or had a displaced fracture (displaced-nondisplaced: <i>p</i> = 0.032; displaced-no fracture: <i>p</i> = 0.009). Younger patients (<45 years) most often declined due to pain, while older patients (>45 years) primarily cited lack of interest (<i>p</i> = 0.04). Although not statistically significant, Black and Hispanic patients most often declined for lack of interest. Older adults' lower interest highlights the need to increase research participation in this underrepresented population.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"185-193"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147535088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Qualitative Research with Vulnerable Groups in Indonesia.","authors":"Yumasdaleni, Kustini, Aji Sofanudin, Abdul Jamil Wahab, Fatimah Zuhrah, Siti Atieqoh, Warnis","doi":"10.1177/15562646261432837","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261432837","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article discusses strategies for ethical research practices, drawing on the experiences of researchers working with victims of abuse, sexual violence, inter-religious conflict, terrorist convicts, and their children. The research employs qualitative methods with data collection techniques interviews, observations, and focus group discussions, while reflecting on researchers' positionality and ethical responsibilities. Two complementary frameworks guide the analysis. <i>First</i>, the power approach, which addresses dynamics of authority and participation to safeguard autonomy and rights. <i>Second</i>, personal sensitivity approach, which emphasizes cultural awareness, trust-building, privacy, and confidentiality. These approaches aim to protect vulnerable groups from harm and exploitation, enhance research quality and credibility, and support justice and inclusion. By implementing these frameworks with established research ethics guidelines, the article highlights integrating to minimize harm, enhance methodological rigor, and strengthen justice and inclusion. The discussion concludes with recommendations for co-design practices with communities and for strengthening ethical training in Indonesia.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"148-160"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147489310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karah Y Greene, Brandon Brown, Jerome T Galea, Jasmine L Lopez, Karine Dubé, Jeff Taylor, Christopher Christensen, Andrea N Polonijo
{"title":"Determining Ethical Incentives in Biomedical HIV Research: Insights from Researchers, Regulators, and People Living with HIV.","authors":"Karah Y Greene, Brandon Brown, Jerome T Galea, Jasmine L Lopez, Karine Dubé, Jeff Taylor, Christopher Christensen, Andrea N Polonijo","doi":"10.1177/15562646261441345","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261441345","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Incentives are crucial for recruiting and retaining participants in research studies, yet researchers and regulators often struggle to determine appropriate incentives due to ethical concerns and a lack of clear guidelines. We conducted interviews and focus groups with three stakeholder groups-biomedical HIV researchers (n = 12), institutional review board (IRB) members (n = 12), and people living with HIV (PLWH) (n = 69)-to explore their perspectives on incentives and ethical decision-making in biomedical HIV research. Our findings revealed disparities in perspectives; researchers and IRB members were most concerned about offering high incentives, while PLWH were most concerned about incentives being too low. Consensus highlighted the need for diverse incentive options, transparency, standardized guidelines, and community engagement to address both ethical and practical challenges.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"210-219"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13250273/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147694101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeniffer Landicho, Chin Hai Teo, Nishakanthi Gopalan
{"title":"Ethical Issues on the Secondary Use of Human Biological Samples: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Jeniffer Landicho, Chin Hai Teo, Nishakanthi Gopalan","doi":"10.1177/15562646261452718","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15562646261452718","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human biological samples are a valuable source of information that may aid in the generation of new knowledge. However, the use of human biological samples for research poses various ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI). We performed a scoping review to identify the ethical issues surrounding the use of human biological samples for research. We developed a search string strategy to identify literature in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Out of 4067 identified articles, 61 articles were included for final analysis. The findings of this study revealed multiple ethical issues stemming from the knowledge and awareness of different stakeholders involved in research, the factors affecting donors' study participation, the consent process, and the governance and structures of these human biological samples. This study will provide guidance for researchers, IRB members, and other stakeholders involved in the ethical consideration of using human biological samples for secondary research.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261452718"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148267889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paulina Tindana, Emily Haddad, Elise Wilson, Esime Agbloyor, Nelson K Sewankambo, Nancy Kass, Joseph Ali
{"title":"Trainee Perspectives on the Fogarty African Bioethics Consortium Postdoctoral Fellowship Program: A Process and Impact Evaluation.","authors":"Paulina Tindana, Emily Haddad, Elise Wilson, Esime Agbloyor, Nelson K Sewankambo, Nancy Kass, Joseph Ali","doi":"10.1177/15562646261445485","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261445485","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is a growing demand for postdoctoral bioethics training in Africa, driven by the significant rise in graduate programs offered by universities. This study sought to evaluate the Fogarty African Bioethics Consortium Post-Doctoral Fellowship program and to explore the experiences and perspectives of its trainees as well as the program's impact on their careers in their home countries. This study adopted an exploratory qualitative design involving in-depth interviews with fellows of the postdoctoral training program. Six fellows participated in the interviews. They expressed satisfaction with the training program and indicated that it effectively fulfilled their expectations. The fellows found mentorship the most valuable component of the training program. The study also found that all fellows are now actively engaged in bioethics-related activities following their training. Bioethics is increasingly becoming a prominent area of study, and African universities need to identify innovative ways of sustaining bioethics training programs on the continent, particularly at the postdoctoral level.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261445485"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13393328/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147950677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wael K Al-Delaimy, Bayan T Amareen, Karem H Alzoubi, Omar F Khabour, Sanaa A Jaber
{"title":"Impacts of Responsible Conduct of Research Education on the Career and Practice of Graduating Fellows.","authors":"Wael K Al-Delaimy, Bayan T Amareen, Karem H Alzoubi, Omar F Khabour, Sanaa A Jaber","doi":"10.1177/15562646261444411","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646261444411","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates the impact of the Fogarty/NIH-funded Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Education Fellowship Program on scientists' RCR activities and practices by following up on 110 of 117 fellows who graduated from the program. The results suggest that the program played a crucial role in promoting RCR activities among the fellows, leading to positive outcomes such as publications in research ethics (64%), attendance of RCR conferences (68.2%), conducting training workshops (74.2%), developing training RCR modules (44%) and institutional ethics guidelines (28%), serving on research ethics committees (48.2%), and providing RCR consultations (52.9%). Most fellows reported significant (high to moderate) improvement in the implementation of ethics/research standards in their work (88%) and in their institutions' commitment to RCR (75%). In conclusion, the study strongly suggests the role that RCR training might play in enhancing RCR education and ethical practices among researchers and their institutions in the low and middle-income Middle Eastern and North African countries.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"15562646261444411"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13178108/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147937132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Knowledge of and Approach Toward Ethics in Research Involving Children.","authors":"Begum Serim-Yıldız, Tolga Erdoğan, Selin Altun, Cemre Öztoprak","doi":"10.1177/15562646251392396","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646251392396","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study explored the knowledge and approaches of researchers in studies involving children. The qualitative analysis carried out in line with the suggestions of the Ethical Research Involving Children guidance revealed that the participating researchers, who completed their graduate-level research involving children, addressed some fundamental ethical considerations. These included obtaining institutional review board approval, securing informed consent from the caregivers, and ensuring the confidentiality of the collected data. However, they overlooked certain specific requirements, such as getting consent from the child, monitoring for signs of dissent, ensuring privacy by removing caregiver interventions during data collection, and creating an incentive strategy. The results also highlighted the necessity of the institutional review board's role in the effective guidance of researchers by considering the specific requirements of their research involving children.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"25-38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12913683/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145656806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Disciplinary Research Ethics Cultures in Disaster Settings: Understandings from Researchers After 3.11 in Japan.","authors":"Sudeepa Abeysinghe, Kaori Honda, Akihiko Ozaki, Alison Lloyd Williams, Claire Leppold, Aya Goto","doi":"10.1177/15562646251399397","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646251399397","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research ethics can be bound by implicit disciplinary understandings of what constitutes risk and how these should be mitigated in the field. The area of health research in post-disaster contexts draws in researchers from a variety of disciplines who are interested in a range of questions. In analysing researchers' experiences of research ethics in the context of the 3.11 disaster in Japan, this paper investigates the ways in which disciplinary cultures of ethics are problematised and negotiated in this setting. It explores researchers' perceptions of the ways in which different disciplines understand ethical practice, how these differences are illuminated in the context of working in close proximity with affected communities in a post-disaster setting, and how research ethics committees are negotiated in relation to disciplinary difference. The paper indicates some ways in which diverse cultures of research ethics might be better managed in future contexts.</p>","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":" ","pages":"16-24"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12913678/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145710663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"GLIDE Global Health Ethics Leadership Awards 2025.","authors":"Heidi Matisonn","doi":"10.1177/15562646251403408","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15562646251403408","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520668,"journal":{"name":"Journal of empirical research on human research ethics : JERHRE","volume":"21 1-2","pages":"60-61"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12913685/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146215544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}