Ethical, Social and Regulatory Issues in Advanced Prenatal Testing. This project aims to investigate the social, ethical and regulatory issues arising with the rapid advancement and increased use of genomic non-invasive prenatal testing in early pregnancy in Australia. It expects to generate new insight into key issues such as consumer information before and after testing, consent, and equitable access to genomic health technologies in human reproduction. Expected outcomes include recommendation ....Ethical, Social and Regulatory Issues in Advanced Prenatal Testing. This project aims to investigate the social, ethical and regulatory issues arising with the rapid advancement and increased use of genomic non-invasive prenatal testing in early pregnancy in Australia. It expects to generate new insight into key issues such as consumer information before and after testing, consent, and equitable access to genomic health technologies in human reproduction. Expected outcomes include recommendations for addressing these issues, supported by ground-breaking social research and ethical and regulatory analysis. The project is expected to have major benefits, addressing the gap between policy and practice that has emerged in prenatal testing in Australia and shaping the ethics and regulation of pregnancy care.
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Reproductive Autonomy in the Genomic Age. This project aims to provide a better way to help people to think and reflect about new genetic tests in pregnancy. These tests are on the rise. Yet they are occurring in a setting that is overly individualistic and underplays problems that can come from increased information and choice. This project will involve an interdisciplinary team to generate new theoretical and practical knowledge to re-frame the concept of 'reproductive autonomy'. Expected outc ....Reproductive Autonomy in the Genomic Age. This project aims to provide a better way to help people to think and reflect about new genetic tests in pregnancy. These tests are on the rise. Yet they are occurring in a setting that is overly individualistic and underplays problems that can come from increased information and choice. This project will involve an interdisciplinary team to generate new theoretical and practical knowledge to re-frame the concept of 'reproductive autonomy'. Expected outcomes include new bioethics knowledge, innovations in research methodologies, new data and recommendations for practice. The project will provide benefits by generating the first analysis of how reproductive autonomy needs to change to ensure new tests in pregnancy are offered and used well.Read moreRead less
Rethinking animals in research: Developing a novel ethical framework. Current approaches to animal ethics face challenges addressing significant problems in animal research. These problems include: harms to research workers and animals, poor translation of results from animals to humans leading to ineffective treatments and poorly directed future research efforts. This project addresses these challenges by developing an innovative, empirically-informed relational approach to animal ethics. The n ....Rethinking animals in research: Developing a novel ethical framework. Current approaches to animal ethics face challenges addressing significant problems in animal research. These problems include: harms to research workers and animals, poor translation of results from animals to humans leading to ineffective treatments and poorly directed future research efforts. This project addresses these challenges by developing an innovative, empirically-informed relational approach to animal ethics. The new approach will deliver a novel framework that minimises harms to humans and animals, and improves the quality of results obtained from experiments. Benefits include a more ethically robust practice of animal research and more targeted deployment of finite research resources.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100414
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,000.00
Summary
Ethics and Equity: Implications for health systems research priority-setting. The project aims to develop ethical guidance on engaging research users and beneficiaries in health systems research priority-setting. As a matter of justice, research on health systems should generate knowledge that improves access and affordability of care for disadvantaged groups, but research questions often fail to reflect the major health system issues these groups face and findings are often not used in policy a ....Ethics and Equity: Implications for health systems research priority-setting. The project aims to develop ethical guidance on engaging research users and beneficiaries in health systems research priority-setting. As a matter of justice, research on health systems should generate knowledge that improves access and affordability of care for disadvantaged groups, but research questions often fail to reflect the major health system issues these groups face and findings are often not used in policy and practice. The project will develop ethical guidance on how research users and beneficiaries should be engaged in health systems research priority-setting and benchmarks for achieving such engagement. Ethical guidance is expected to facilitate a rise in research that improves health systems for disadvantaged groups.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101180
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$362,000.00
Summary
The neuroethics of cognitive ageing. As the workforce ages, Australian and international governments are prioritising brain health, seeking to increase economic productivity and reduce the costs of age-related cognitive decline. In addition to healthy lifestyle habits, certain neurotechnologies are being promoted as the means to protect cognitive performance. This project aims to explore the ethical issues and social pressures that ageing individuals experience as a result of cognitive ageing. U ....The neuroethics of cognitive ageing. As the workforce ages, Australian and international governments are prioritising brain health, seeking to increase economic productivity and reduce the costs of age-related cognitive decline. In addition to healthy lifestyle habits, certain neurotechnologies are being promoted as the means to protect cognitive performance. This project aims to explore the ethical issues and social pressures that ageing individuals experience as a result of cognitive ageing. Understanding later life from the perspective of ageing individuals may enable society to meet the ethical and policy challenges raised by emphasising cognitive wellbeing above other aspects in the ageing process.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101301
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,023.00
Summary
The impact of micro gender biases on women's careers: the case of surgery. This project aims to investigate how small, cumulative gender biases affect women's career paths and progression in surgery, with implications for relevantly similar careers. Women surgeons show gendered patterns of subspecialty selection, experience a pay gap relative to men, and are less likely to be involved in innovation. The project will use philosophical theories of epistemic injustice and moral aggregation to provi ....The impact of micro gender biases on women's careers: the case of surgery. This project aims to investigate how small, cumulative gender biases affect women's career paths and progression in surgery, with implications for relevantly similar careers. Women surgeons show gendered patterns of subspecialty selection, experience a pay gap relative to men, and are less likely to be involved in innovation. The project will use philosophical theories of epistemic injustice and moral aggregation to provide new ways of understanding workplace gender discrimination, and qualitative methods to test their applicability in surgery. It will contribute new knowledge about invisible barriers to women’s career progression in surgery and similar careers, and make theoretical contributions to feminist epistemology and moral theory.Read moreRead less
Ethical frameworks for responsible innovation of neurotechnology. This project aims to ensure the ethical and efficient innovation of emerging neurotechnologies, including implantable brain devices, synthetic drugs and direct-to-consumer brain devices. This project expects to generate Australian’s first responsible innovation framework through extensive community engagement. Expected outcomes of this project include: guidelines for the development of neurotechnologies; a national framework for r ....Ethical frameworks for responsible innovation of neurotechnology. This project aims to ensure the ethical and efficient innovation of emerging neurotechnologies, including implantable brain devices, synthetic drugs and direct-to-consumer brain devices. This project expects to generate Australian’s first responsible innovation framework through extensive community engagement. Expected outcomes of this project include: guidelines for the development of neurotechnologies; a national framework for responsible innovation; partnerships with international brain initiatives; and enhanced interdisciplinary capacity. The proposed research should provide significant benefits: innovation of technologies that meet Australians' needs, reduced misuse and harm, and greater social support for innovation in neuroscience.Read moreRead less
Support or sales? Medical device representatives in Australian hospitals. Medical device representatives provide crucial support to clinicians using complex medical equipment. However, their obligation to maximise sales conflicts with their support role. Increasing uptake of devices potentially impacts patient safety and healthcare costs, making it important to understand the involvement and influence of device representatives. The proposed research will investigate the ethical and legal impacts ....Support or sales? Medical device representatives in Australian hospitals. Medical device representatives provide crucial support to clinicians using complex medical equipment. However, their obligation to maximise sales conflicts with their support role. Increasing uptake of devices potentially impacts patient safety and healthcare costs, making it important to understand the involvement and influence of device representatives. The proposed research will investigate the ethical and legal impacts of device representatives in Australian hospitals, leading to new knowledge and innovative ethical and legal analyses of their activities. Benefits include a policy framework, new standards for managing device representatives’ interactions, and clarity about ethical and legal obligations of clinicians and institutions.Read moreRead less
Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Agriculture: Social and ethical issues. This project aims to investigate the social and ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture. By combining social science research methods and philosophical analysis, the project aims to generate new knowledge in bioethics and applied ethics. Expected outcomes of this project include an account of the social and ethical issues farmers, rural communities, and consumers anticipat ....Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and Agriculture: Social and ethical issues. This project aims to investigate the social and ethical issues raised by the use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture. By combining social science research methods and philosophical analysis, the project aims to generate new knowledge in bioethics and applied ethics. Expected outcomes of this project include an account of the social and ethical issues farmers, rural communities, and consumers anticipate arising from these technologies, improved understanding of these issues, and an account of how these groups would like to see these issues addressed. This should help Australia benefit from the responsible use of artificial intelligence and robotics in agriculture.Read moreRead less
Reducing the harms associated with conscientious objection to abortion. This project aims to critically evaluate the regulation of conscientious objection to abortion. A range of state-based laws regulate this practice in Australia, and there is evidence that all result in inequitable access, harms to women and lack clarity for providers. The project will critically evaluate the legal and regulatory options for managing conscientious objection and interview conscientious objectors to develop a c ....Reducing the harms associated with conscientious objection to abortion. This project aims to critically evaluate the regulation of conscientious objection to abortion. A range of state-based laws regulate this practice in Australia, and there is evidence that all result in inequitable access, harms to women and lack clarity for providers. The project will critically evaluate the legal and regulatory options for managing conscientious objection and interview conscientious objectors to develop a conceptual model to explain their practices. A participatory process with experts will identify the optimal model for regulation and how to translate the model to practice. Expected outcomes are world first evidence on practice, progress towards effective regulation, and benefits will be reduced conflict and harms.Read moreRead less