Program Introduction and Overview
There is a long tradition of investigators from more developed countries collaborating with researchers in developing countries. The ethical codes for research that guided the early investigators and their funders were those based on the dominant society. Following the Second World War, the Nuremberg Code was developed to prevent the abuse visited upon non-consenting subjects. Other documents - Helsinki Declaration, the International Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects (and later for Epidemiology Studies) - gave further definition to research ethics in the international context. These guidelines are based on three principles: respect for persons; beneficence; and justice.

Even with these guidelines and regulations there remain differences in the interpretation and application of these principles, especially in the context of international research. There are many areas of conflict; the most recent being the controversy surrounding the use of AZT in the prevention of HIV infection in the newborn, and the field testing of HIV vaccines.

In response to these issues, the Program on Ethical Issues in International Health Research (in the Department of Population and International Health) serves as the umbrella under which a number of ethics-related educational initiatives are developed and implemented. These include the annual summer workshop at Harvard on "Ethical Issues in International Health Research," international short-courses, the Program website and Internet discussion list, the Research Ethics Fellowship program, and case study development.

The Program director is Richard A. Cash, MD, MPH.

The Program is co-directed by Daniel Wikler, PhD.

The Program is co-sponsored by:

• The Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health
• Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology
• Peking Union Medical College