TIBA ADVANCED RESEARCH ETHICS WORKSHOP

MENDEL TRAINING CENTRE: HARARE; 8-9 FEBRUARY 2018

The TIBA Partnership is organising a two day ‘Advanced Research Ethics Workshop’ at Mendel Training Centre in Harare from 8-9 February 2018. The workshop which is being hosted by the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ), is supported through a grant from the UK BBSRC GCRF Impact Acceleration Award to the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with the initiative on Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA). The main aim of the workshop is to strengthen understanding of ethics processes with the nine TIBA partners in Africa and examine the context for Responsible Research and Innovation. Representatives from each of our nine partner countries have been invited to take part in this important workshop. Their attendance of the workshop will be supported through a scholarship which will cover cost for an economy class airfare, visa (as needed), accommodation, meals during the workshop as well as a modest daily subsistence allowance.

The workshop will  flag topical ethical issues that are relevant to health research in developing country settings, and will also explore various schools of thought with the aim of coming up with well thought out positions and/or recommendations. The workshop will be facilitated by guest speakers from South Africa, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe (see below). All the speakers are leading practitioners who are producing exciting and innovative work in the areas of human health research and human research protections.

The varieties of topics to be discussed include the following: 

• Ethical principles and their application in health research and ethical review processes
• International guidance documents, research oversight governance, harmonization and TIBA partner country legislations
• TIBA and the 10/90 gap (neglected diseases etc)
• Research with vulnerable persons and groups
• Responsibilities in health research
• Ethical issues in international collaborative health research
• The ethics of research designs and methods
• Models and practicalities of community engagement
• The ethics of research specimens and data sharing
• Ethical issues in research with traditional medicines
• Ethical issues in social and behavioural research
• Ethical issues in genetics and genomics research
• Animal research ethics
• Responsible publication practices 

For further details on travels, accommodation and the workshop please contact Ms Sambulo Ntombela (gombela@ukzn.ac.za). For administrative assistance during your visit to the workshop in Harare contact Ms Melody Shana at the MRCZ (mshana@mrcz.org.zw). We look forward to welcoming as many of our TIBA partners to Zimbabwe and to your participation in this workshop.

Speaker line-up (alphabetical order):

Dr. Linda Bester - University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Dr. Linda Stranix Chibanda, University of Zimbabwe

Professor Moses Chimbari, Deputy Director, TibaPartnership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Professor Exnevia Gomo - University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Professor James Hakim - University of Zimbabwe

Peter Hayward, Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet HIV

Professor Collen Masimirembwa - African Institute of Biomedical Science and Technology

Professor Takafira Mduluza, University of Zimbabwe

Dr. Shungu Munyati - Director General - Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI), Harare, Zimbabwe

Rosemary Musesengwa - Project Manager, AMARI

Professor Francisca Mutapi – Deputy Director, TibaPartnership, University of Edinburgh

Dr. Paul Ndebele – Director, Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe

Professor Simbarashe Rusakaniko - University of Zimbabwe