Articulating the Social Responsibilities of Translational Sciences

Recently, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has shifted the primary focus of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) from “translational research” to “translational science.” NCATS treats translational research as being specific to a therapeutic area such as finding more effective and personalized cancer targets. In contrast, translational science interventions aim to improve translational research systems in a domain-agnostic manner that may be applied across many therapeutic areas. Translational science initiatives may include large information technology infrastructures/databases, learning healthcare networks, and regulatory changes.

In this presentation, we argue that translational science has a specific type of social responsibility that cannot be fulfilled by traditional research ethics frameworks. We define the social responsibility of translational science as the responsibility to contribute to social benefit, including improved health outcomes and decreased health disparities. Translational science has specific social responsibilities because of (1) the support from public funding for translational science in the health sciences which creates a specific social contract; (2) the fundamental goals of translational science respecting social responsibility and fostering greater health equity; and (3) an inherent duty to mitigate the potential risk of direct, indirect, and systemic harms that could stem from translational innovations that aim to transform the system of scientific discovery and implementation. We further argue that prioritizing the values of relevance, usability, and sustainability of translational science innovations can enable the application of social responsibility.   

Translational Science Grand Rounds presentations are sponsored by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Speaker Bio

Elise Smith, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Bioethics and Health Humanities with a membership in the Institute of Translational Sciences and the Institute for Bioethics & Health Humanities. As a bioethics scholar with a background in philosophy, law, and the social sciences, she works on projects in research ethics, research integrity, and public health ethics. Her work on social responsibility of science aims to develop best practices for scientist to develop commitment to socially relevant research outcomes which may include improving health outcomes or reducing health disparities. As the Director of the Research Ethics Consultation Service at UTMB, Smith aims to create an environment that enables ethical decision-making through openness, ongoing discussion, tailored training, and research regarding research ethics and integrity concerns.

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