To access the discussion board, click on the words “Tuskegee Role-Play: Part 1” which will take you to a new screen where you can click on “Create Thread” to post your responses.
In the mid 1900s, research was conducted by the US Public Health Service and funded by the US government that involved egregious violations of human rights. The public response to these studies played a critical role in the establishment of protections for human subjects.
PART 1: Read these articles for an overview of US public health research at the time of Tuskegee. When reading Jones et al. (2016), search for Willowbrook and Tuskegee to read specific details about these studies.
Jones D. S., Grady C., Lederer S. E. (2016). Ethics and clinical Research: the 50th Anniversary of Beechers bombshell. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(24), 23932398. Ethics_50years_NEJM2016.pdf
Krugman, S. (1986). The Willowbrook hepatitis studies revisited: ethical aspects. Reviews of Infectious Diseases, 8(1), 157-162. Krugman_Willowbrook revisited_RID1986.pdf
Reverby, S. M. (2012). Ethical failures and history lessons: the US Public Health Service research studies in Tuskegee and Guatemala. Public Health Reviews, 34(1), 1-18. Tuskegee&Guatemala_Reverby_PHR2012.pdf
Answer the following questions:
1. At what point did the syphilis research at Tuskegee and Guatemala become unethical? What factors made the research unethical? Your answer should be ~25 words
2. At what point did the hepatitis research at the Willowbrook State School become unethical? What factors made the research unethical? Your answer should be ~25 words
3. What did the scientists who conducted the Tuskegee syphilis study hope to find out, i.e., what was their purpose in conducting the research? Your answer should be ~25 words
4. What did the scientists who conducted the Willowbrook hepatitis studies hope to find out, i.e., what was their purpose in conducting the research? Your answer should be ~25 words
5. What changed after the public became aware of human rights abuses that took place in the context of U.S. public health research at Tuskegee, Willowbrook, and elsewhere (e.g., Guatemala)? Your answer should be ~25 words
Pick a role below. Read the assigned article(s) to learn more about some of the individuals associated with research conducted at Tuskegee and at the Willowbrook State School.
Write a short paragraph from the point of view of the person(s) you were assigned to read about. Write as if you were that individual. Introduce yourself and your role in the research. Were you in favor of conducting the research or did you object to it? Were you a victim or a perpetrator? Defend your point of view in the context of public health concerns about syphilis and hepatitis outbreaks. Express your feelings, which may include, e.g., regret or anger. Look back at the events that took place and talk about your role in history.
Your response should be ~100 words.
Remember to stay in character as you write your response: For example, if you were assigned the role of President Clinton, you should post as if you were President Clinton by saying, for example, I, President Bill Clinton, would like to apologize to the participants
list of roles to choose from.
Eunice Rivers (Tuskegee Nurse)
2_EuniceRiversLaurie_VoicesinBioethics.pdf
John Cutler, Taliaferro Clark, and other researchers with US Public Health Service
3_JohnCutler_USPHSResearcher.pdf
3_TaliaferroClark_USPHSResearcher.pdf
Saul Krugman
4_SaulKrugman_WillowbrookResearcher.pdf
Peter Buxton & Susan Reverby
(Whistleblowers)
5_PeterBuxtun_Whistleblower.pdf
5_SusanReverby_Whistleblower.pdf
Parents of Willowbrook Children
6_Willowbrook_ParentConsent.pdf
President Bill Clinton & President Barack Obama
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