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Enhancing research ethics for BSN students

Unlike most North American undergraduate nursing programs, BSN graduation from IUBAT has always required a major research project in the final year. Over the past decade, IUBAT has further strengthened the opportunities and expectations for faculty research. Therefore, IUBAT College of Nursing coordinator Shuvashish Das Bala recently completed a training course in Research Ethics through the Centres for Medical Ethics and Global Health at the University of Oslo. The course involved seventy hours of study and covered basic tools for members of research ethics committees evaluating biomedical and health related research in different contexts.

Research ethics is an important topic for global health care and global justice, especially because of the increase in biomedical research in low- and middle-income countries. According to the course sponsors, “This increase is due to varied reasons such as lower costs for the pharmaceutical industry, more flexible or non-existent regulations and little training of research ethics committees…. This course will offer a research ethics and human rights framework concerned with the defense of the dignity, safety, and well-being of research participants.”

Shuvashish writes, “Presently I teach the Research in Nursing course for BSN students and assist graduating students with their research reports, ensuring adherence to ethical standards. Because it encouraged critical thinking, this course was incredibly enriching. Case studies from different cultures helped me develop profound understanding of the impact of ethics on human lives. In the future, I hope to join the IUBAT Research Review Committee, where I can apply the knowledge I gained from this esteemed course.”

Happy 20th Birthday to BHP!

John Richards, MOHFW Minister Hoque, Karen Lund, Alex Berland at a 2014 meeting

The Bangladesh Health Project began at the invitation of IUBAT Founder, Dr. M. Alimullah Miyan to BHP Director John Richards. In November 2003 BHP Director Alex Berland visited the university for a feasibility assessment with stakeholders and officials; several months of preparation followed. Then the first College of Nursing Coordinator, Dr. Karen Lund, arrived in Dhaka and enrolled the initial batch of nursing students. In the following years, due to the shortage of local nurse educators, over eighty individuals, mostly Canadians, traveled to IUBAT as visiting faculty volunteers. Today that volunteer effort is unnecessary because local nurse educators provide all leadership and instruction.

In a journal article, 'A do-it-yourself approach to international nurse education', Alex Berland describes “lessons learned” in supporting the IUBAT College of Nursing from complete start-up to an independent, high-quality training program. He recommends that social entrepreneurs conduct research before committing to a project and rely on their own resources if necessary. Being an “audacious optimist” is also a must!

Berland's article concludes, “Although DIY projects won’t always work, inaction achieves nothing. In the time we might have spent preparing proposals for the unpredictable demands of funders, we have graduated well-educated nursing leaders in Bangladesh. It may be a drop in the bucket, but I believe our carefully nurtured graduates will amplify the impact of this small effort for decades. As anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’”