ABSTRACT
On January 13 and 14, 2003, The New York Academy of Medicine and the National Institute of Mental Health sponsored a meeting entitled "Ethical Issues Pertaining to Research in the Aftermath of Disaster." The attendees included 37 mental health professionals, trauma researchers, public health officials, ethicists, Institutional Review Board (IRB) representatives, as well as family members and first responder representatives from the Oklahoma City and World Trade Center disasters (see Appendix). The purpose of the meeting was to examine evidence concerning the impact of research on traumaexposed participants, review the applicable ethical principles and policies concerning protection of human subjects, and offer guidance to investigators, IRBs, public health and local officials, and others interested in assuring that research in the aftermath of a disaster is conducted in a safe and ethical manner.
