Services

As a service of the Biomedical Ethics Research Program, investigators who conduct clinical and translational research can seek consultations about promoting ethical conduct in research.

Ethics consultations

Faculty members in the Biomedical Ethics Research Program manage the Clinical and Translational Research Ethics Consultation (ClinTREC) service, which is part of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS) at Mayo Clinic.

The ClinTREC service is free for investigators conducting clinical and translational research who want assistance with any ethical issues of concern, especially about research protocols that may raise potentially sensitive issues. These issues include research involving human embryonic stem cells, storage of clinical samples for future research, and topics related to race, genetics and stigmatizing conditions.

Get more information about research ethics consultations from ClinTREC.

Health Data and Technology Advisory Board

The Biomedical Ethics Research Program established the Health Data and Technology Advisory Board in 2021. The board provides a structured forum for dialogue among community members, researchers and institutional leaders about artificial intelligence (AI) and patient data sharing.

The board ensures that patient and community values are considered in the evaluation and implementation of data-centered initiatives. Email the board to learn more.

Biorepositories community advisory boards

In 2007, Mayo Clinic chose 20 people to represent the population of Olmsted County, Minnesota. The group took part in a deliberative community engagement event. They held in-depth conversations about biobanking and issues related to genetic and genomic research.

One of the group's recommendations was to have ongoing community guidance and involvement in governing the Mayo Clinic Biobank and individualized medicine research. Based on this recommendation, Mayo Clinic established an advisory board in Rochester, Minnesota, in 2009 to ensure that Mayo continues to hear and consider community voices.

To better understand regional and cultural differences, Mayo Clinic launched a community advisory board in the Jacksonville, Florida, area. An advisory board also was formed in Phoenix, Arizona, to provide guidance about the creation of the Sangre por Salud (Blood for Health) Biobank. Sangre por Salud is a collaboration among Mayo Clinic, Mountain Park Health Center and Arizona State University. Sangre por Salud expands precision medicine research to include Latino communities, which are often understudied in biobanking research.

Email us to learn more about the biorepositories community advisory boards.