“The Macchiarini affair played a prominent role in highlighting the importance of constant preventive measures in ethical issues. This is of the utmost importance both for research itself and for public confidence in research. And research ethics is a responsibility that is incumbent on each and every one of us,” says Mats Larhed, Vice-Rector of the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy.

The management team at the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy is currently having to field many questions both internally from staff and from outside the University. When a case attracts attention in the outside world and the media, it becomes obvious how important it is to uphold good research practice at all times.

The current case, which UNT has written about and which has not yet been settled, concerns a reported lack of ethics approval when testing for COVID-19. The case is in progress and the management will not comment on it before it is settled.

“All researchers have a responsibility always to follow ethical rules and principles – this is not a voluntary option,” says Eva Tiensuu Janson, Deputy Vice-Rector for Medicine and Pharmacy, firmly. “A head or other manager cannot possibly know about every individual researcher’s work in detail.”

Courses in research ethics to PhD students
 

The University already runs numerous courses in research ethics, and PhD students are required to take a course. The disciplinary domain will shortly be launching a mandatory module-based bilingual introduction for all new postdocs, as well as new researchers and teachers who have not previously undertaken similar training and who will be engaged in research at the University for at least one year.

New principal supervisors taking on their first doctoral student will also be required to take the mandatory training course, which will be offered to affiliated researchers as well. The concept has been developed by all the faculties of medicine in the country in a process begun several years ago and now completed.

“It will serve as a kind of ‘green card’, enabling a person to show that they know the rules under Swedish legislation and other ethical principles. The nationwide cooperation between faculties has been very valuable, it’s something we can recommend to other faculties as well,” says Tiensuu Janson.

The Vice-Rector and Deputy Vice-Rector both feel there is a deep and broad interest in research ethics issues in the disciplinary domain, as became obvious in the recent work on the domain’s goals and strategies document, Vision: Medfarm.

“One of our goals is an ethical and respectful way of working and in our many discussions there has been great agreement and consensus on the link between quality, academic culture and ethical approach,” Larhed concludes.