UB welcomed Dr. Robert L. Levine, one of the most renowned ethics experts in the medical field, as a guest speaker on Tuesday in Farber Hall.
In the lecture, entitled "The Ethics of Research Involving Human Subjects," Levine discussed the history and importance of ethics involving human research subjects in medical studies.
Levine is a professor of medicine and lecturer of pharmacology at the Yale University School of Medicine. He co-authored the Belmont Report that is used as the basis for modern ethical practices involving human research subjects.
Research Subjects Protection Administrator Ed Zablocki explained the importance of the Belmont Report.
"It serves as the basis for the human research protection system that has been put into place in this country," he said. "It provides the ethical foundation for how human research subjects are protected."
In his lecture, Levine emphasized the importance of understanding the history of the medical research field. He explains that this leads to the comprehension of the ethical principles that have been developed.
"You can get some idea of what problems the people who wrote these statements were trying to solve when they wrote them," he said.
Levine explained that the National Research Act, which was passed in 1974, formed the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. According to Levine, the act identifies ethical principles and develops guidelines to protect the rights of human subjects.
He outlined the three basic ethical principles - respect for a person's autonomy, beneficence, and justice.
According to Levine, informed consent from research volunteers is an essential aspect to the principles. It's necessary to treat research volunteers with respect, he said. Also, he explained that there is always some risk involved, but risks should be minimized as much as possible.
"(Researchers should) never deliberately injure a human being to get new knowledge, no matter how important that new knowledge is," he said.
Levine spoke about the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki, a document addressing ethical treatment of human subjects. The document calls for informed consent from the legal guardians of those who cannot give consent themselves such as children opening the door for pediatric studies.
"It seemed overnight, national organizations and journals required statements of compliance (from research volunteers)," he said. "We now have a yardstick, we have a way people can say, that doesn't look ethical to me."
Many students found the lecture to be relevant to their fields of study.
"We had to read the Belmont Report to conduct research," said Megan Evangelist, a graduate student in occupational therapy. "It was interesting to see the person who wrote it."
Ken Martin, a senior medical technology major, was impressed with Levine's knowledge on the subject.
"He's very well thought of, and obviously very well read. It was a really good presentation," Martin said.
However, there were some students that expected more from Levine's years of experience and recognition.
"It was a good lecture, but it was basic. We learned about this the first day of ethics," said Jennifer McGuire, a senior nursing major. "I was expecting more depth."
Overall, Levine stressed the significance of human research subjects in the medical field.
"Without research volunteers, UB would not be able to make the contributions (it) has made," he said.
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
