A09 - Formalizing Community Bridges for Research Ethics and Trust

Because public engagement about research is important to maintaining trust and transparency between research institutions and the public, it is imperative that research professionals engage in two-way conversations about research with the general public. Doing this in a structured and ongoing way will allow for research professionals to learn about the communities they serve in ways that will impact the research being reviewed and conducted by their institutions. It also allows the public to learn about how research is considered and operationalized, so members of the public can provide feedback on, not only the research, but the research review process and priorities. Speakers will discuss how they engage communities. In Utah, for example, as a lead-in to the PRIM&R Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, a Utah-specific conference is being hosted to discuss research ethics and the needs and perspectives of the Utah's different communities. This conference involves both public leaders and research ethics professionals as speakers and attendees. This method for bi-directional exchange of information is likely to be a model that can be used at other locations. The goal of this session at PRIM&R is to discuss formal mechanisms such as this one in Utah, that allow for public participation in research.