The impact of COVID-19 on mental health research practice: ethical issues

Global Forum on Bioethics in Research (GFBR) and Epidemic Ethics

This seminar explores the ethics of how mental health research practice has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion will include the ethical implications of transferring face-to-face research online and what safeguards are needed to protect the wellbeing of participants at a time when support from the research team or external services may be reduced due to social distancing and other restrictions. How do we ensure ethically robust mental health research in the time of COVID-19 and how best can researchers involve people with lived experience in the design of research as it transitions to the digital world?

Chair: Ross Upshur, University of Toronto, Canada
Panel:
Professor Ellen Townsend, Self-harm Research Group, University of Nottingham, UK
Dr Abhishek Ghosh, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, India
Professor Jackie Hoare, Consultation–Liaison Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, South Africa