Tagged / research ethics

FIF Networking visit to New Zealand

Funding opportunities, Fusion

My Fusion journey started well before the Fusion fund came into being. Medicine 2.0 logoI’ve attended several Medicine 2.0 conferences, increasing my network of people researching in a similar area to myself along the way.  Last year this led to an invitation to visit Prof John Sullivan at the University of Otago, New Zealand. The University of Otago, founded in 1869, is New Zealand’s oldest university.

My research interests are around the role of the Internet and Social Media in supporting people living with long term conditions, and the related implications for healthcare professionals’ practice and education. Prof Sullivan researches in the area of sport concussion, including projects examining the role of the world wide web (www) in facilitating concussion awareness.

I applied to the Staff Networking and Mobility strand for support to take up this invitation, and was awarded funds for a 2 week visit to explore potential collaboration in research and education initiatives.

While I was there I was invited to give a guest lecture, where I shared some recent research I have undertaken into the ethics of using online discussion boards as research data. I was lucky enough to meet other Otago academics with an interest in this, including Dr Lynley Anderson in the Bioethics Centre, and Dr Lisa Whitehead, the Director of the Centre for Postgraduate Nursing.

I had an inspiring fortnight, mainly at the Dunedin campus. The School of Physiotherapy were kind enough to give me office space and computer access during my stay.  The University of Otago has grown over the years and has a historic core, surrounded by a collection of buildings of various ages and styles. Prof Sullivan took me on a walk around the campus and told me something of its history.

University of Otago. Copyright C Bond
I also visited several local coffee shops, where a lot of networking meetings seem to happen. Prof David Baxter, the Dean, gave me an overview of the work of the School, and I discussed research into low back pain with Dr Ramakrishnan Mani, and use of the Internet in education with Dr Daniel Ribeiro.

I also visited the University of Otago’s Christchurch campus where Dr Whitehead is based.

The Centre for Postgraduate Nursing is located in the City Centre, and while there I took some time out to walk around the areas of the downtown area that have been opened to the public after the devastating earthquakes suffered by the city two years ago.

I’ve come back with ideas for two possible research projects that now need to be developed, and funding found.

If anyone would like to know more about my research, or to discuss the Staff Mobility and Networking fund, please email me (cbond)

 

How ‘ethical’ are you? Test your knowledge and win a prize!

Research Ethics

Research Ethics Quiz

Time to toss out the dunce cap and proudly adorn your thinking cap – if you get all of the answers correct, you will win a prize.  Good luck and happy ethics!

    ACROSS

    6. Outputs, impact, environment – we’re all looking forward to the submission date in 2013

    7. The main focus of this blog

    8. The team that is responsible for all operational aspects of the pre- and post-award administration of research and knowledge exchange bids and awards

    13. Stream of funding that exists to support a range of practical initiatives and pump prime activity around Fusion

    14. Describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public, involving interation and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit

    DOWN

    1. The moral principles guiding research including inception, aims, completion, publication or results and beyond

    2. Will replace EU's FP7

    3. This initiative forms part of the Fusion Investment Fund and by becoming a member this will provide staff with access to a range of support services and advice not available to non-members and is open to staff of all grades with a range of experiences, not just junior colleagues

    4. The new Publications Management System

    5. BU’s database that tracks all pre- and post-award bids and projects

    9. The best university in the UK!

    10. The creation of better or more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments, and society

    11. England's primary funding body

    12. The team that is responsible for all strategic, policy, process and quality aspects of research and knowledge exchange activity across BU, and particularly those which help to develop, enhance and stregthen our research culture

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Your Office Number (so I know where to send the prize)

     

     

    Ethics and Conduct and Governance….OH MY!!

    Guidance, Post-award

    Similar to Lions and Tigers and Bears, these nasty words often send a chill down the spine of researchers across the globe!

    “More roadblocks to delay my research?!” 

    “Hinder-full, not helpful!” 

    “Once you think you’ve ticked all the boxes, read all the policy/procedure and signed your life away, SMACK – the conduct officer hits you with a new hurdle!”

    Sound familiar?  These are just a few examples of the misconception towards my full-time job.  Hello, my name is Julia Hastings Taylor and I am the University’s Research Development Officer responsible for ethics and conduct.  Prior to joining BU I received my Masters in International Political Economy from LSE and before moving across the pond, I worked for the US Intelligence Community tracking down drug lords in SW Asia, Europe, and Africa.  Drug traffickers—as opposed to university researchers—tend to not concern themselves with ethics or conduct, so I’m pleased to be part of an organization that takes compliance seriously!

    My first mission—as impossible as it may seem—is to change the way researchers view ethics and conduct (and me, for that matter).  I’m not the Big Bad Wolf and I don’t plan to ‘blow your research down’; on the contrary, I am here to support you, and strengthen the University’s research governance structure.  Leave the scary ethics maze to me – I know the way and I will point you in the right direction.  Struggling to understand and/or comply with funder regulations – don’t fret, it’s my job to ensure all regulations are clear and we have an easy-to-follow framework for compliance!  I plan to streamline processes and procedures, outline ‘best practices’ in both ethics and conduct and ensure that the University’s policies are not only robust but also flexible. 

    While we’re on the topic, here are a few of my thoughts: while I wouldn’t consider myself to be a ‘tree hugger,’ I am sensible…so come on folks…this is 2012…let’s move away from printing off reams and reams of forms to fill in and sign when we can simply create online forms with digital signatures.  I like processes to be efficient, straightforward and simple and that’s what I hope to bring to the University’s ethics and conduct role.  As the next handful of months will bring change—and we all know how much everyone loves change—please give me your feedback and suggestions for improvements, and be honest about your views on research ethics and conduct; I’d like for this process to be as inclusive as possible, but I can only knock on so many doors, invite you to so many meetings/forums and ask so many questions.

    So, if you happen to see me lurking around your School in the coming months, please don’t assume I’m the secret police looking for my next victim….I’m probably lost and simply trying to find the loo!