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Consultation

REI Consultation Overview

The WRAIR Research Ethics and Integrity Consultation Service assists personnel with identifying, articulating, and navigating bioethical and scientific integrity issues that arise throughout the research process, from project conception and design, throughout the conduct of research, to the communication of findings and consideration of societal implications.

Topics for REI consultation vary widely, including, but not limited to, challenges in evaluating:

  • Potential harms and benefits in animal or human research
  • Conflicts of interest and commitment
  • Scientific best practices
  • Ethical research design
  • Incidental findings
  • Research-related activities
  • Dual-use research
  • Other concerns

REI consultations are:

  • Available: We are available to all personnel at WRAIR or its Directorates regardless of role, affiliation, or location. We can also assist research personnel from partner organizations and WRAIR research participants.
  • Collaborative: We work collaboratively with our WRAIR stakeholders to help identify RCR or ethical challenges, gather relevant information and resources, evaluate possible solutions/courses of action, and provide guidance and recommendations.
  • Advisory: We are not investigative or regulatory officials, but rather provide advice and recommendations to individuals who have ethics or integrity concerns.
  • Confidential: We protect the confidentiality of individuals requesting REI consultation and information shared during the consultation process to the fullest extent possible, with exceptions for mandatory reporting or disclosure requirements.

Requesting REI Consultation

To request a confidential REI consultation, email the REI team at us.army.detrick.medcom-wrair.mbx.rei@mail.mil. (Personal contact information for WRAIR REI consultants can be found in the WRAIR Personnel REI Group.) Research ethics and integrity concerns are handled confidentially.

DISCLAIMER: The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has reviewed this material and there is no objection to its presentation or publication. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the authors’ private views and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Defense Health Agency, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense.