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Marjorie Haas, MA, MSW's avatar

My background: I completed an MSW degree from Southern Connecticut State University that included a social service research project. If nothing else, I learned how nasty IRBs can be, as my thesis project was turned down at my place of Internship on the basis of "not contributing to corporate goals." The thesis was published and is in the library at my school. Title: "What Caregivers Want as Social Support." My advisor worked it out! (1995).

I also birthed 2 scientists, one a professor of neuroscience in a prestigious university. She does "real research". She is published in Science magazine. The other is equally published in her field of Chiropractic Care. She also has a Ph.D in Bio-Chemistry. The 2 sisters do not speak because of disagreements on "research".

I also administrate an online group for "Melanoma Caregivers".

I give this background to support my response HERE.

Thank you for your enlightening post of how some colleges have changed since I was in school! I am sitting here shaking my head that such disrespect was tolerated in the name of "research"! How are the students instructed on the VALUE of an IRB unless they experience a standard of protocol and a standard of confidentiality required by solid research? Perhaps they need to be taught the value of independent peer review as well.

I would wonder how this school maintains accreditation or does it care? The value of IRB review as well as peer review keeps us SAFE in our world of declining morals, values, and ethical dilemmas.

What if, we followed a sloppy scenario in the development of a Covid vaccine? What if the researchers graduated from a non-accredited school, without having learned how to justify their research to a panel of professors? What if they wrote a dissertation and did not have to defend it in front of faculty and peers? What if they found a publication that did not require independent peer review? What if the FDA and CDC did not value standards of review in the research? Would you validate and allow the vaccine in your arm?

I congratulate you for making this situation public in your forum. As a member, I feel protected and safe by your actions. You provide a safety filter for your members and readers and that filter is extremely important for the self-disclosure that members find useful to other readers and themselves.

Congratulations and Best Wishes! May your members fully appreciate what you have said in this email. You are providing a service by disclosing this important work! Thanks you!!!

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Donna Thomson's avatar

Hi Cori, as you know, I co-instruct a course at McMaster University called the Family Engagement in Research course. We bring 15 parents of children with disabilities together with 15 researcher trainees and give them a curriculum that includes both the theory and practice of partnering in research. We have a whole section on ethics and I am going to include this post of yours in the required reading. This situation drives me NUTS! If this ever happened in research I'm aware of in Canada, I'd complain to all the funding agencies and there would be hell to pay. I'm so disappointed this happened at CGSpace. :(

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