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Center Research
The Center for Ethics Education has received several federally-funded research projects. Descriptions of current and past studies are below.
» Fordham Resident Alcohol Prevention Program
» Fordham Athlete Alcohol Prevention Initiative
» Mentoring the Responsible Conduct of Research
» Participant Perspectives on Drug Use/HIV Testing Research Ethics
» Assessment and Enhacement of Research Consent Capacity for Adults with Mental Retardation
| Research Project Descriptions |
Fordham Resident Alcohol Prevention Program (from Inside Fordham)
In recognition of Fordham University’s award-winning alcohol education programming, the National Institutes of Heath (NIH) awarded the University a three-year, $776,869 grant to develop and test a new Resident Alcohol Prevention Program in 2005. The grant, presented by the NIH’s National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), was awarded to Fordham’s Center for Ethics Education. The goal of the new program is to limit drinking on college campuses through increased involvement of faculty, parents, students, and Residential Life staff in encouraging students to take personal and social responsibility for drinking choices
“Fordham has long been at the forefront of developing programs aimed a reducing student alcohol consumption,” said Celia Fisher, Ph.D., the Marie Ward Doty Professor of Psychology and the director of the Center for Ethics Education, who will serve as the principal investigator for this research. “The NIAAA is supporting Fordham because it wants to support model programs that can be adopted by other colleges across the country.”
This unique initiative will combine the talents of Fordham researchers, faculty, administrators and student leaders to build social responsibility and character among college students. Fordham will take a four-pronged approach to meet this mission by:
• Developing a new position, assistant director of residential life for alcohol, who will serve as a liaison to parents in efforts to reduce college drinking
• Introducing new Resident Assistant (RA) training sessions based on character development and ethical decision-making to improve enforcement and effective communication with students about drinking policies in residence halls
• Sponsoring faculty-student dinners to strengthen students’ understanding of the links between personal and social responsibility in their academic and personal lives
• Initiating an annual student-led Stop College Drinking Fair
Fordham researchers, including Dr. Fisher, Marie Ward Doty Professor of Psychology, will analyze data collected over the past three years to measure the success of the new programming. Based on this success, universities across the country will adopt Fordham’s policies and procedures for their own campuses.
Fordham has been recognized in the past for its innovative alcohol abuse prevention programming. The National Association for Campus Activities awarded Fordham the Exemplary Program award in 2001 and the BACCHUS and GAMMA Peer Education Network presented the University with the National Outstanding Peer Education Program award in 2000 for its Passport, Off-Campus NYC guide. The guide, a pocket-sized listing of 100 eateries, entertainment spots, sporting events and shops, is an alcohol abuse prevention tool designed for freshmen by the University’s Peer Prevention Team. The University also hosts Lollanobooza, an annual event featuring alcohol-free fun that attracts more than 3,000 students.
Mentoring the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
The Fordham University Center for Ethics Education received a $400,000, two-year grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in 2005. The broad long term goals of this project are to develop psychometrically sound instruments and data that can help psychology departments perform self-studies to improve RCR education and that other disciplines can begin to adapt to their unique own training needs.
Over the past twenty years a consensus has developed that the responsible conduct of research (RCR) is vital for the continued health, participant trust, and public value of the scientific enterprise. Lack of familiarity with RCR requirements undermines the overall integrity of the research enterprise. Statements by the Public Health Service, the Office of Research Integrity, and the Institute of Medicine have repeatedly stressed the importance of instruction in the socializing of students to and modeling the values and procedures essential to good and rightly practiced research. Although RCR mentoring is critical, it can only be of modest help if it is not conducted effectively and if there is no commitment or support for RCR training at the institutional level. Psychometrically valid instruments and data are thus needed to assist institutions in promoting and supporting RCR mentoring in ways that are appropriate for the unique empirical work in the area of RCR mentoring and institutional climate with a focus on graduate training in basic and applied psychological sciences.
Participant Perspectives on HIV/Drug Use Research Ethics
Existing federal research regulations and ethical standards often fall short when investigators applythem to the study of vulnerable populations and marginalized communities. One such population is illicit drug users who are living with or at high risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS. In response to this serious ethical concern, the goal of this National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded research project is to give individuals who use drugs and who are positive or at high risk for HIV/AIDS a voice in how drug and HIV/AIDS research is conducted within their communities. In general, such ethical issues concern the risks and benefits of research recruitment and participation, how well informed participants are about the nature of their study and research rights, how confidential information will be protected and when it may be disclosed to others, and ethically appropriate and inappropriate ways of compensating individuals for their researchparticipation. Community members’ perspectives will be obtained through focus groups, individual interviews, and surveys. The research is being conducted in collaboration with the Hispanic Health Council (HHC) in Hartford, Connecticut and with Housing Works, a New York City-based social service and advocacy group serving homeless individuals who are living with or at high risk for HIV/AIDS.
Fordham Athlete Alcohol Prevention Inititiative
In 2007, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education, in collaboration with the Alcohol and Other Drug Education (AODE) Program, and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, a grant to develop an alcohol prevention program for student athletes. In part, this grant will will train leaders from each varsity sports team at Fordham University in alcohol intervention strategies in an attempt to reduce student athelete drinking and associated high-risk behaviors, decrease peer expectations for drinking, and change overall team culture.
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