Coronavirus Conversations: The Science and Ethics of Human Challenge Trials for COVID-19

Co-Hosted with The Duke Center on Risk, and The Petrie-Flom Center For Bioethics at Harvard University

Human challenge trials for COVID-19 offer an opportunity to speed the development of treatments and vaccines that can help tame the pandemic. But they are risky for participants, and pose thorny ethical questions. Even with willing volunteers, the scientific and medical communities must carefully weigh the risks before launching any human challenge trials, and put strong ethical safeguards in place.

Join Duke Science & Society, Harvard Petrie-Flom Center For BioEthics, and The Duke Center on Risk and our panel of experts in a discussion of the science, promise, and risks of human challenge trials, how they might play a role in bringing an end to the coronavirus pandemic, and how to legally and ethically do so.

Panelists:

Dr. Marc Lipsitch, Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology & Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease; Director, Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics

Dr. Nir Eyal, Rutgers University, Henry Rutgers Professor of Bioethics; Director of The Center for Population-Level Bioethics (CPLB); Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy

Dr. Cameron Wolfe, Infectious Disease Specialist, Associate Professor of Medicine; Clinical Expert In Respiratory and Infectious Disease, Duke Medical School

Moderator:

Kim Krawiec, J.D., Duke University School of Law, Kathrine Robinson Everett Professor of Law

Attending this event fulfills the RCR-200 (Responsible Conduct of Research) requirement for Duke faculty and staff. Attendees must indicate when registering that they are attending to receive Duke Faculty and Staff RCR credit. During the event attendees will receive further instruction on how to obtain RCR credit for their attendance.

This virtual event series is open to the public. Press covering the coronavirus outbreak are welcome to attend. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

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Coronavirus Conversations: A virtual event series from Duke Science & Society

As we practice social distancing, engage in online learning, and work remotely we are burdened with questions about how this pandemic is affecting our lives, the lives of those we love, and the society we are a part of. Over the course of this event series faculty and staff from Duke Science and Society will join academics, lawmakers, students, researchers, doctors, and others to shed some light on the events happening around us and what life will start to look like moving forward.

We will have moderated, casual lunch-time discussions with brief Q&A held via Zoom chat.