by Joan P. Schwartz, Ph.D., NINDS
In an effort to encourage NIH researchers to adhere to high ethical standards and to ensure that allegations of scientific misconduct are handled impartially and expeditiously, the Office of Intramural Research (OIR) has established an NIH Committee on Scientific Conduct and Ethics, which is composed of scientists from most of the institutes, centers, and divisions. The OIR feels strongly that this committee can make an important contribution to the NIH scientific community.
As chairman of this committee, I welcome all suggestions from NIH staff for topics and issues you would like to see addressed by our panel. The committee, which held its first meeting on Sept. 14, has three basic charges:
to develop and refine guidelines for the conduct of research, including procedures to protect both whistle-blowers and scientists accused of scientific misconduct, to develop a model for binding arbitration, and to determine areas in which additional guidelines may be needed (e.g., mentorship),
to develop effective mechanisms for ethics training in the NIH scientific community-including this ethics column, and
to develop mechanisms to deal rapidly and fairly with allegations of scientific misconduct and with disputes related to authorship, sharing of data and reagents, mentoring, supervision, and other conflicts in the scientific workplace.
Chair
Joan Schwartz, NINDS
Members
Richard Asofsky, NIAID
Bruce Baum, NIDR
Peter Blumberg, NCI
Jane Cheng, NCI
Sue Cheng, NINDS
Ted Colburn, NIAAA
Robert Desimone, NIMH
Andrew Dwyer, CC
Victor Ferrans, NHLBI
James Fozard, NIA
David Gorelick, NIDA
Christine Grady, NINR
Bettie Graham, NCHGR
Victoria Hampshire, NCRR
Christy Ludlow, NIDCD
Ron Mason, NIEHS
Ralph Nossal, DCRT
John O'Shea, NIAMS
Alan Schechter, NIDDK
John Wilbur, NLM
Peggy Zelenka, NEI