On November 2, Matthew DeCamp, MD, associate professor in the Center for Bioethics and Humanities, warmly welcomed the 105 participants to the 13th Annual CCTSI Research Ethics Conference. The event, which took place in person at the Fulginiti Pavilion and virtually via Zoom, attracted faculty, staff, researchers and students from across the country for an engaging and informative session.
The topic was Creating a Culture of Excellence and Equity in Research, and it was jointly sponsored by the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities.
The forum commenced with an opening address delivered by C.K. Gunsalus, JD, director of the National Center for Principled Leadership and Research Ethics and professor emerita of business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In her keynote Creating a Culture of Excellence & Equity in Research, Gunsalus began by stressing that everyone in research has a responsibility to do things right, even when facing pressure to do otherwise. She described the work of her center, which includes assisting labs, training leaders and conducting surveys on research integrity.
During her talk, Gunsalus invited the audience to think about the important core values that underlie integrity in science. Many in the audience suggested values like honesty, transparency, inclusivity and openness. She linked these core values to what makes research both excellent and meaningful, and what can move us forward to improve health and outcomes.
“Our premise is that excellence is more than what you do, it also encompasses how the work is done and for us the cornerstones of that are rigor, reproducibility, meaningful inclusion and integrity,” Gunsalus said.
The conference had three flash presentations and after, there was a panel discussion. The first presenter, Daniel Acuña, PhD, associate professor in the department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, discussed What research can teach us about research integrity and culture? Acuña uses machine learning to uncover rules that enhance the success of publication, collaboration and funding decisions, particularly focusing on detecting questionable journals.
Vice Chair of Diversity and Justice Sonia Flores, PhD, presented How can diversity in research teams and research training improve research integrity? Flores highlighted the ethical considerations of inclusive lab environments, research integrity and the need for diverse perspectives in scientific research teams.
Kimberly Cox-York, PhD, director of the Research Integrity Office at Colorado State University, concluded the flash presentations by asking What is the role of the research integrity office and institutional policy in fostering a culture of excellence? She emphasized the importance of policies and open science initiatives. The final discussion of the conference was a lively discussion on ChatGPT and Research Integrity: Promise, Peril, or Both?
Special thanks to the organizing committee: Matthew DeCamp, PhD, David Badesch, MD, Curtis Coughlin II, PhD, MS, MBE, HEC-C, Teri Hernandez, PhD, RN, Brian Jackson, MD, MA, HEC-C and Gianna Morales, CRRS, IBD. If you have ethical questions about a study you may be planning, sign up for a Research Ethics Consult. For more details, contact ResearchEthics@ucdenver.edu.