The medical and public health response to the COVID19 pandemic suggested a deficiency of knowledge of health research ethics. Promoting drugs without adequate data on efficacy, frequent retractions of publications, compromising the safety of frontline health workers, lack of empathy in the lockdown measures, and a barrage of false information are only a few examples of the shortcomings.

As an immediate response to the need, Sangath launched DRISHTi Health Research Ethics for health researchers in July 2021. The 10-week long digital course has been designed for health researchers with core focus on health research ethics in the Indian context. With over 40 different faculty, epitomising the best in knowledge and practice in the field, the course hopes to enhance the quality, rigour and oversight in conducting and evaluating health research in India.

This course covers modules on approaches to ethical analysis, the significance of informed consent process, the role of community engagement, publication ethics, mitigating conflicts of interests, the role of ethics committees, basics of clinical trials, and ethical issues in research conducted with specific populations.

Ensuring that the learning for the participants is practice-oriented, practitioner friendly, and field-relevant, the course also includes interviews & panel discussions with researchers, individuals who have participated in health research, and individuals who belong to the marginalised communities to generate meaningful content from various perspectives.