Ethics and Best Practice Guidelines for Training Experiences in Global Health

John A. Crump Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College, Tumaini University, Moshi, Tanzania; Berman Institute of Bioethics and Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Office of Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Researcher, Bioethics and Global Health, Pune, India; Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Departments of Medicine and Public Health, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York; Emory Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Naval Medical Research Center Detachment, Lima, Peru; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, New York, New York; BMJ, London, United Kingdom; Clinical Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Chula Medical Research Center (ChulaMRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; HIVNAT, Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Center, Bangkok, Thailand; College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

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Jeremy Sugarman Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College, Tumaini University, Moshi, Tanzania; Berman Institute of Bioethics and Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Office of Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Researcher, Bioethics and Global Health, Pune, India; Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Departments of Medicine and Public Health, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York; Emory Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Naval Medical Research Center Detachment, Lima, Peru; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, New York, New York; BMJ, London, United Kingdom; Clinical Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Chula Medical Research Center (ChulaMRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; HIVNAT, Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Center, Bangkok, Thailand; College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

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the Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training (WEIGHT) Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania; Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College, Tumaini University, Moshi, Tanzania; Berman Institute of Bioethics and Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland; Office of Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Researcher, Bioethics and Global Health, Pune, India; Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland; Departments of Medicine and Public Health, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York; Emory Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Naval Medical Research Center Detachment, Lima, Peru; Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, New York, New York; BMJ, London, United Kingdom; Clinical Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom; Chula Medical Research Center (ChulaMRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; HIVNAT, Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Center, Bangkok, Thailand; College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0527
Volume/Issue:
Volume 83: Issue 6
Page(s):
1178–1182
Restricted access
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Academic global health programs are growing rapidly in scale and number. Students of many disciplines increasingly desire global health content in their curricula. Global health curricula often include field experiences that involve crossing international and socio-cultural borders. Although global health training experiences offer potential benefits to trainees and to sending institutions, these experiences are sometimes problematic and raise ethical challenges. The Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training (WEIGHT) developed a set of guidelines for institutions, trainees, and sponsors of field-based global health training on ethics and best practices in this setting. Because only limited data have been collected within the context of existing global health training, the guidelines were informed by the published literature and the experience of WEIGHT members. The Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training encourages efforts to develop and implement a means of assessing the potential benefits and harms of global health training programs.

Author Notes

*Address correspondence to John A. Crump, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Box 102359, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, E-mail: crump017@mc.duke.edu; and Jeremy Sugarman, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Hampton House 351, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, E-mail: jsugarm1@jhmi.edu.
†Working Group on Ethics Guidelines for Global Health Training (WEIGHT) members include: Michele Barry, Anant Bhan, Pierce Gardner, Jeffrey P. Koplan, Ahaz T. Kulanga, Silvia M. Montano, Elizabeth Myers, Kirsten Patrick, John D. Porter, Alan C. Regenberg, Kiat Ruxrungtham, Nelson K. Sewankambo, and John F. Shao.

Financial support: The development of these guidelines was supported by grant no. WT089272MF from the Wellcome Trust (http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/).

Disclosure: Silvia M. Montano is an employee of the U.S. Government. This work was prepared as part of her official duties. Title 17 U.S.C. § 105 provides that “Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government.” Title 17 U.S.C. § 101 defines a U.S. Government work as a work prepared by a military service member or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person's official duties.

Authors' addresses: John A. Crump, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, E-mail: crump017@mc.duke.edu. Jeremy Sugarman, Berman Institute of Bioethics and Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, E-mail: jsugarm1@jhmi.edu.

Copyright:
©The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2010
Received:
21 Sep 2010
|
Accepted:
30 Sep 2010
|
Published Online:
06 Dec 2010
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
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