Biomedical Research Integrity series set

For young and experienced researchers alike, publishing a paper can present the opportunity for an ethical disaster. Is it plagiarism, for instance, when the first author of a multi-authored paper presents the work at a later time as if it is all his or her own? Or is that just not very honest?

To help keep graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, faculty and staff in the Health Sciences Center on their ethical toes, the medical school offers the Biomedical Research Integrity Lecture Series. The series features four lectures on ethical issues by prominent experts in their fields, followed by case study discussion groups.

The series was started in response to a National Institutes of Health policy requiring NIH-supported trainees to receive instruction in responsible research. This year, medical school executives agreed that all trainees, regardless of their funding, should participate.

The lectures will be held on Thursdays, from noon to 1 p.m. in room T-625 of the Health Sciences Center, starting on June 25 with, “What You Should Know About Plagiarism,” presented by Dr. David Dale, professor of medicine and former dean of the medical school.

The remaining lectures are as follows:

Aug. 6 — “Data Handling: I Mine, You Dredge. Ethical Context and Content of Statistical Design, Analysis and Reporting,” by Dr. Gerald van Belle, professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Health and professor of biostatistics in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Aug. 20 — “Practical and Ethical Implications of DNA Testing for Neurogenetic Diseases,” by Dr. Thomas D. Bird, professor of neurology, medicine and psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and a neurologist at the VA Medical Center.

Aug. 27 — “Grant Writing: The Ethical Challenge,” by Dr. Janet S. Rasey, professor of radiation oncology and director of Research Funding Service.

The Biomedical Research Integrity Lecture Series is organized and sponsored by the School of Medicine’s Office of Scientific Affairs. For more information, contact Erin Lynch, 543-6116. ¶

Will Morton