NYU-UG Research Integrity Training Program The proposed program will build sustainable research ethics and integrity capacity in Ghana through a joint partnership between the University of Ghana (UG) and NYU. It addresses the considerable need for research ethics training in the country through two initiatives: (1) the creation of an independent Bioethics Program and masters degree in bioethics at UG School of Public Health and preparation of faculty, culturally relevant curriculum and practicum sites for the new program to be initiated by UG by the end of the grant period, and (2) preparation of 24 fellows with a masters-level certificate in research ethics, to populate Ghana's research regulatory, and educational systems. Six of these fellows will also attain a master's degree in bioethics from NYU, making them eligible to serve as faculty for UG's new Bioethics Program by the end of the grant period. Fellows will selected from researchers who have completed MDs or PhDs, so that the training can build upon their expertise and experience in relation to research methods and health needs in Ghana and other LMICs. The fellowship will offer training in ethical review of research, empirical research related to research practices, mediation and communication, case studies, and regulation and policy analysis. Topics will include subjects' protection, research misconduct and issues of quality in science such as reproducibility and bias, all essential for leadership roles on local and international scientific research teams and the practice of responsible science. The fellowship coursework will be developed collaboratively by experts in research ethics from NYU and UG and will form the core curriculum of the Bioethics Program that will be established by UG. Due to the significant involvement of Ghanaian leaders and the contextualized curriculum that will be offered within the country, the Bioethics Program is set to be established and sustainable by the end of the grant period. Graduates of the fellowship and master's program will contribute published papers that will examine local issues related to research integrity and bioethics. These contributions are essential to reframing discussions related to international research ethics so that needs and insights from LMICs can be incorporated, making for just system of research.
NYU-UG Research Integrity Training Program The proposed program aims to strengthen research ethics capacity in Ghana through offering in depth training in research integrity to 24 carefully selected fellows, master's degree training in bioethics from NYU to 6 of those fellows, and through the establishment of a sustainable Bioethics Program at the University of Ghana. The fellowship and master's programs, administered through a joint partnership between NYU and UG, will prepare faculty, culturally relevant curriculum, and practicum sites for the new Bioethics Program. The fellowship program will train individuals already active in research in a wide range of health problems in Ghana, to populate and further develop Ghana's regulatory system for research, while the NYU master's program will confer masters degrees on 6 fellows, making them eligible for faculty positions in the UG Bioethics Program and preparing them for leadership position in the field of bioethics and research integrity.
