Taking stock of the ethical foundations of international health research: pragmatic lessons from the IU–Moi academic research ethics partnership

Abstract

It is a sine qua non that research and health care provided in international settings raise profound ethical questions when different cultural and political values are implicated. Yet ironically, as international health research expands and as research on ethical issues in international health research broadens and deepens, we appear to have moved away from discussing the moral foundations of these activities. For international health research to thrive and lead to the kind of benefits it is capable of, it is helpful to occasionally revisit the foundational premises that justify the enterprise as a whole. We draw on the experience of the Indiana University–Moi University Academic Research Ethics Partnership, an innovative bioethics training program co-located in Indianapolis and Eldoret, Kenya to highlight the changing nature of ethical issues in international health research and the ongoing practical challenges.