Simon N Whitney

Simon N. Whitney, MD, JD is supremely qualified to write about research oversight, having attained a medical degree, a law degree, and completed a fellowship in medical ethics. He therefore understands research oversight, which in the United States is conducted through Institutional Review Boards or IRBs, from a unique perspective.

Whitney’s first major publication was Balanced Ethics Review: A Guide for Institutional Review Board Members (2015). Most manuals emphasize the IRB’s role in protecting research subjects. Whitney’s contribution demonstrates the importance of a balanced approach, one that recognizes that there is moral value in both protecting research subjects from abuse and reducing the suffering and death of members of the public.

His capstone publication is From Oversight to Overkill: Inside the Broken System That Blocks Medical Breakthroughs—And How We Can Fix It, which presents the problems of excessive oversight through a series of compelling case studies. It shows how the work of scientists in fields ranging from the prevention of kidney stones to the treatment of extremely premature infants is delayed and damaged by excessive oversight. But the problem is not in the IRBs themselves; it comes from misguided federal, and ultimately Congressional, oversight. From Oversight to Overkill explains this in clear language, and paths a way forward so that we can all benefit from medical research that is freed of unnecessary burdens.

You can learn more on Dr. Whitney’s website, https://DrSimonWhitney.com, or email him at swhitney@bcm.edu.