H07 - PLENARY: Protecting Third Parties in Research: Whose Job Is it Anyway?

CLICK HERE to view captioning for this session! 

Infectious disease research, gene therapy research, social and behavioral research, and many other types of research reviewed by IRBs frequently pose risks to many more people than those who directly consent to participate in it. Whether they are called "third parties," "bystanders," "close contacts," or some other name, risks to these people raise important questions for research oversight as to whose responsibility it is to inform them of these risks, and protect them. Responsibilities for third parties can be placed with institutions conducting the research, the institutions or locations where the research is conducted, with other committees like IBCs or Community Advisory Boards, or, sometimes, there is no entity with direct responsibility for protecting these individuals. This session will discuss the ways third party risks manifest in three different types of research and the challenges and gaps in existing oversight that arise when third party risks exist. Speakers will propose recommendations for IRBs for filling in these gaps with explicit assignment of responsibility or explicit communication channels between responsible entities.