Understanding Bias and Conflicts of Interest in Clinical Trials

In this lecture, David Resnik will address the intersection between financial conflicts of interest, including industry funding, and bias in clinical research. Conflicts of interest can influence how trials are designed, conducted, analyzed, and reported. Journal editors ask authors to declare conflicts of interest and the role of the funder in the trial.

By using case studies, we hope to improve the university’s ability to identify and manage financial conflicts of interest by increasing awareness of this issue in the area of clinical trials. For example, there are a number of ethical issues that have emerged from the Jesse Gelsinger case. The lead scientist had a financial interest in the development of the gene therapy being used in the clinical trial. We will discuss how biases related to financial relationships have the potential to directly impact the quality of healthcare and objectivity of the research. We will cover how conflicts of interest describe situations where the impartiality of research may be compromised because the researcher stands to profit in some way from the conclusions they draw.

Please register at RCR Monthly Series

David B. Resnik is a Bioethicist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH).  

Dr. Resnik was Chair of the NIEHS Institutional Review Board (IRB) from 2008 to 2019 and is currently a member of the NIH-wide IRB.  Dr. Resnik has been a member of the NIH Committee on Scientific Conduct and Ethics since 2004 and was named Senior Advisor for Research Integrity in the NIH’s Office of Intramural Research in 2022.  Dr. Resnik has an MA and PhD in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a JD from Concord University School of Law (now part of Purdue University), and a BA in Philosophy from Davidson College.  

He has published over 300 articles and 10 books on ethical, social, legal, and philosophical issues in science, technology, and medicine; is an Associate Editor of the journal Accountability in Research; and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.