Fifty Years of Change: Henry K. Beecher and Protecting Human Subjects

In June of 1966, physician-researcher Henry K. Beecher published a paper entitled “Ethics and Clinical Research” in the New England Journal of Medicine.  His paper listed 22 examples of clinical research that raised ethical questions about the conduct of research by physicians at major universities, published in major medical journals, demolishing the widely-held position that concerns about unethical research conduct were relevant only to a small number of corrupt, non-respected researchers.  

Fifty years later, Beecher’s paper is often cited as the most significant publication in human research ethics. In this webinar, we explore the history and motivation that led to Dr. Beecher’s ground-breaking publication, and the response from the research community.  We will also discuss the development, evolution and current state of human research protections.