Articulating the social responsibilities of translational science

Elise M. R. Smith (), Stephen Molldrem, Jeffrey S. Farroni and Emma Tumilty
Additional contact information
Elise M. R. Smith: University of Texas Medical Branch
Stephen Molldrem: University of Texas Medical Branch
Jeffrey S. Farroni: University of Texas Medical Branch
Emma Tumilty: University of Texas Medical Branch

Palgrave Communications, 2024, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract In recent funding calls, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences has shifted its focus from “translational research,” which applies to studies in specific therapeutic areas, toward “translational science” interventions which aim to modify the system of translational discovery in the health sciences. To date, the social responsibilities of translational science have not been adequately articulated. In this paper, we argue that the ethical practice of translational science should include explicit social responsibilities that contribute to improved health outcomes and decreased disparities. Articulating social responsibilities specific to translational science is justified based on three of the field’s foundational elements: (1) the social contract regarding public funding of research, (2) the goals of translational science, and (3) the increased risk of direct, indirect, and systemic harms from translational science, which involve system-level changes. We integrate social responsibilities into a framework which prioritizes developing relevant, usable, and sustainable innovations in translational science and provide three illustrative examples to demonstrate the practical application of this framework.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-023-02597-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-02597-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/palcomms/about

DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-02597-8

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Palgrave Communications from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().