Local women, Cambodia. Photo: B Coghlan

CRICOS Code 048299B

The Monash University Master of International Research Bioethics (in partnership with the Burnet Institute[1])

The MIRB course  is offered by the Department of Epidemiology & Preventative Medicine in Melbourne. On completing the course, students will gain a strong theoretical framework, significant experience with ethics committees and considerable involvement with local organisations concerned with the development of bioethical policy and its implementation. The program is interdisciplinery, covering comparative moral theory, research bioethics in an international setting, quantitative and qualitative research methodology, critical appraisal techniques and relevant law. Students will acquire the theoretical and methodological skills required to lead others in both the practice of ethical decision making in their own countries and in the teaching of necessary skills. Particular emphasis is given to ethical issues associated with research in developing countries in the Asia-Pacific Region and with indigenous populations.

Funding and Facilities

The Department has been awarded a grant from the Fogarty International Center, US National Institutes of Health to develop the MIRB course and to sponsor 5 students a year from developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region to participate. This funding will contribute to students' travel costs, cover course fees and provide students with a living stipend. (Students will be required to pay their own health insurance, amenities fees and applications fees). Funded students will also have access to a study space equipped with a computer and a printer, and to other facilities of the DEPM. Funding for Aboriginal students is being sought. The course will be open to fee paying students from 2006.
Availability to Australian students is subject to university approval.


Program Director

Bebe Loff BA LLB MA is Head of Research Bioethics in the Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine at Monash University.

Associate Directors

Mike Toole BMedSc MBBS DTM&H is Head of Burnet Institute's Centre for International Health.

Jim Black MBBS(Hons) MCommH PhD DTM&H FAFPHM is Head of Epidemiology at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of basic moral theory and bioethics and the application of bioethical principles to research in both domestic and international collaborative contexts;
  • Show an understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methods and be able to critically review the scientific merit of research proposals;
  • Show an understanding of the opportunities for the "study community" to participate in the planning and implementation of studies and to advise on the ethical considerations that arise;
  • Identify the special issues related to health research in developing country settings, especially in research with vulnerable populations and cases in which the investigators are from a different cultural or ethnic setting;
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the practical operation of research applications and approval processes of ethics committees and the international and domestic legal frameworks in which these committees function.

Course Structure

The MIRB course runs for one calendar year over three semesters.

Students will undertake the following units:
Semester One

  • EPM5020 Comparative Moral Theory & Ethics
  • CHB5233 Principles of Health Care Ethics
  • MPH1040 Introductory Epidemiology
  • MPH1041 Introductory Biostatistics
  • EPM5021 Research with Vulnerable Populations
  • MPH2050 Health of Women & Children in Developing Countries

Semester Two

  • EPM5022 Critical Appraisal Skills
  • EPM5023 International Research Bioethics
  • MPH2049 Field Methods for IH Planning & Evaluation
  • EPM5024 Research, Bioethics & Law

Summer Semester

  • EPM5025 Research Practicum
  • MPH2082 Health Communications & Training: Participatory Methods for Resource Poor Settings

In Country Project

Once students have completed the course, they will have the opportunity to design a program for their institution or workplace that will develop or improve the bioethical decision-making processes in their own countries. Students will design and implement their program with the support of members of their institution or workplace and the assistance of two members of the MIRB Consortium. The project should be in place for a minimum of 6 months.

Entry Requirements

Essential considerations

To be considered for the course, applicants need to:

  • Submit a completed application form;
  • Show that they have successfully completed a 3 year undergraduate degree in any of a range of disciplines including medicine, science, arts and law, plus relevant work experience in health research policy & processes;
  • Provide their curriculum vitae together with one or two professional references;
  • Provide documentation of their proficiency in English by obtaining an IELTS overall band score of 7.0 with no individual band score of less than 6.5; or a TOEFL score of 600 with a TWE score of 5; or a computer based TOEFL score of 250 with an ER score of 5. (This only applies to students who have obtained their degrees from universities in non-English speaking countries);
  • Provide a personal statement outlining their reasons for wanting to undertake the MIRB course, including the relevance of research bioethics to their future career path;
  • Provide a letter of support from their institution or employer expressing commitment to leave the applicant's position open for them for the duration of the course, and to ensure that on their return to work, the applicant's role in the organisation will involve research bioethics. (Applicants for a fully funded place in the course should be working in low or middle income countries in the Asia-Pacific region. All applicants should be in a position to contribute to the strengthening of health research ethics policy and processes in their country after the course).

 

Other Considerations

In choosing students for funded places each year, the following may be taken into consideration:

  • The balance of age, gender, country and profession amongst course participants;
  • Membership of an indigenous community;
  • Advice from the International Advisory Committee and the MIRB Consortium.

Application forms can be found at:

http://www.monash.edu.au/international/courses/resourses/pg07/pgapplication.pdf

For more information contact:

Mike Toole (toole {AT} burnet.edu.au)
Centre for International Health, Burnet Institute
GPO Box 2284
Melbourne VIC 3004
or
Bebe Loff (Bebe.Loff {AT} med.monash.edu.au)
DEPM, Monash University
89 Commercial Rd,
Melbourne VIC 3004