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Jia Z, Liu D, Li X, Wen T, Zhao X, Li W. Analyzing the composition of the editorial boards in high-impact medical ethics journals: a survey study. BMC Med Ethics 2024; 25:13. [PMID: 38311761 PMCID: PMC10840243 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-024-01006-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The underrepresentation of scholarly works from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in academic literature is a documented concern, attributed partly to editorial biases. This trend, prevalent across various disciplines, has been less explored in the context of medical ethics journals. This study aimed to examine the composition of editorial board members (EBM) in high-impact medical ethics journals and to evaluate the extent of international diversity within these editorial teams. METHODS This study incorporated an analysis of 16 high-impact medical ethics journals. Information regarding the EBM of these journals was systematically gathered and categorized based on the World Bank's country income classifications. An in-depth examination of the editorial board compositions was then conducted. RESULTS The study identified 669 EBM across the selected journals. A predominant 89.84% (601) of these members were from high-income countries (HICs), with upper-middle-income countries contributing 7.47% (50) and lower-middle-income countries 2.69% (18). No EBM were associated with low-income countries. A regional breakdown indicated that North America was the most represented area, accounting for 48.88% (327), followed by Europe & Central Asia (27.50%, 184), East Asia & Pacific (13.45%, 90), Latin America & Caribbean (4.63%, 31), Sub-Saharan Africa (4.19%, 28), Middle East & North Africa (0.75%, 5), and South Asia (0.60%, 4). In total, these EBMs hailed from 46 different countries, with the United States representing the largest proportion (43.80%, 293), followed by the United Kingdom (13.15%, 88), Australia (7.92%, 53), Germany (6.73%, 45), and Canada (5.08%, 34). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant lack of international representation within the EBM of high-impact medical ethics journals. The majority of editors in this field are affiliated with HICs, leading to a severe underrepresentation of LMICs within the editorial boards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwei Jia
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Donghua Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xingxuan Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Tianlin Wen
- Department of Orthopedics, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiyan Zhao
- Department of Endocrinology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Sports Medicine, Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
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Faraj W, Robson M, Tawil A, Reuter V, Mahfouz R, Cambria R, Saheb N, Ferrer CS, Vemuri S, Yaghi M, Kanso M, Abdullah A, El Nounou G, Jabbour M, Muenkel K, Kaufman K, Wakim JM, Badson S, Wilson R, Houston C, Drobnjak M, Hoballah J, Ziyadeh FN, Zaatari G, Brennan M, O'Reilly EM, Abu-Alfa AK, Abou-Alfa GK. Biospecimen Repositories in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Insights From an American University of Beirut and Memorial Sloan Kettering Collaboration. JCO Glob Oncol 2023; 9:e2300140. [PMID: 37883726 PMCID: PMC10846789 DOI: 10.1200/go.23.00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Biobanking helps source tissue and blood for studying cancer genomics. Access to biorepository resources in low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and the American University of Beirut (AUB) established a joint tissue biorepository at AUB in Beirut, Lebanon. The undertaking encountered key challenges that were unanticipated. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients age 18 years or older were eligible for enrollment at AUB. After consent, biospecimens were obtained at the time of routine diagnostic and/or therapeutic interventions. Both normal and abnormal tissue and solid and/or liquid specimens were collected from varied body sites. Early on, declining consent was frequently observed, and this was highlighted for investigation to understand potential participants reasoning. RESULTS Of 850 patients approached, 704 (70.8%) elected to consent and 293 (29.5%) declined participation. The number of declined consents led to an amendment permitting the documentation of reasons for same. Of 100 potential participants who declined to consent and to whom outreach was undertaken, 63% indicated lack of research awareness and 27% deferral to their primary physician or family member. A financial gain for AUB was cited as concern by 5%, cultural boundaries in 4%, and 1% expressed concern about confidentiality. Of the patients who elected to consent, 682 biospecimens were procured. CONCLUSION The AUB-MSK biospecimen repository has provided a unique resource for interrogation. Patient participation rate was high, and analyses of those who elected not to consent (29%) provide important insights into educational need and the local and cultural awareness and norms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walid Faraj
- American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Mark Robson
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Ayman Tawil
- American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Victor Reuter
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | | | - Roy Cambria
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Nour Saheb
- American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | - Shreya Vemuri
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | | | | | | | | | - Mark Jabbour
- American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Deceased
| | - Kerri Muenkel
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | | | | | - Sandy Badson
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Roger Wilson
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
- Deceased
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Murray Brennan
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Eileen M. O'Reilly
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | | | - Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
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Muaygil R, Aldekhyyel R, AlWatban L, Almana L, Almana RF, Barry M. Ethical uncertainty and COVID-19: exploring the lived experiences of senior physicians at a major medical centre. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS 2023; 49:275-282. [PMID: 36600609 DOI: 10.1136/jme-2022-108369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Given the wide-reaching and detrimental impact of COVID-19, its strain on healthcare resources, and the urgent need for-sometimes forced-public health interventions, thorough examination of the ethical issues brought to light by the pandemic is especially warranted. This paper aims to identify some of the complex moral dilemmas faced by senior physicians at a major medical centre in Saudi Arabia, in an effort to gain a better understanding of how they navigated ethical uncertainty during a time of crisis. This qualitative study uses a semistructured interview approach and reports the findings of 16 interviews. The study finds that participants were motivated by a profession-based moral obligation to provide care during the toughest and most uncertain times of the pandemic. Although participants described significant moral dilemmas during their practice, very few identified challenges as ethical in nature, and in turn, none sought formal ethics support. Rather, participants took on the burden of resolving ethical challenges themselves-whenever possible-rationalising oft fraught decisions by likening their experiences to wartime action or by minimising attention to the moral. In capturing these accounts, this paper ultimately contemplates what moral lessons can, and must be, learnt from this experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruaim Muaygil
- Department of Medical Education, The College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Raniah Aldekhyyel
- Department of Medical Education, The College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lemmese AlWatban
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, The College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lyan Almana
- The College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rana F Almana
- Department of Pediatrics, King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mazin Barry
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, The College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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