Sustaining Public Trust: Falling Short in the Protection of Human Research Participants

The article offers some preliminary thoughts on some of the central marks of public trust in the research enterprise: creating accountability in research, instilling confidence in the integrity of process, ensuring fairness and transparency in the research enterprise, and affirming a commitment to the protection of human participants by all involved in research. The author suggests that the public needs to be assured that processes are in place to protect research participants in order to create accountability. News about the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's oversight of the regulatory process for drugs, biologics and devices may also affect public confidence.