Why They Blow the Whistle: Exposing Abuses to Human Research Subjects

This talk will examine how in popular culture, whistleblowers are conscience-driven heroes who triumph against the odds. Yet when research abuses occur, medical institutions deny wrongdoing even when it is glaringly obvious, and rarely do mistreated research subjects or their families get any real justice. Whistleblowing is the exception, not the rule. In many scandals, doctors and other staff members remain silent for years while unwitting research subjects are abused. If abuses do come to light, the researchers are usually protected by the medical establishment while the whistleblowers are punished.