Who We Are and What We Do
The Research Ethics Consultation Service is supported by Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS).
Our research ethics consultants offer advice to researchers, research staff, personnel involved in protection of human subjects and research participants who have questions about any aspect of a research study. We assist when there are ethical issues that could benefit from in-depth conversation and analysis related to the development, implementation or analysis of clinical and translational research.
Research ethics consultants are all members of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care.
The Consultation Process
Consultations may range from a phone conversation to a face-to-face meeting, and usually result in a written report being created for the requestor’s use. Consultant recommendations are advisory and are supplemental to the Institutional Review Board’s (IRB) responsibility for research oversight. The consultations generally are confidential, and the details are not discussed with others without the requestor’s permission unless disclosure is required by law. After a consultation, requestors will be asked for feedback to improve the service.
Katie Porter, JD, MPH, director
Devan Duenas, MA, coordinator
Kate MacDuffie, PhD, MA, consultant
Elliott Weiss, MD, MSME, consultant
Benjamin Wilfond, MD, consultant
