Publication
Published on: May 8, 2025
Published in: The American Journal of Bioethics
In the article “Benefits that Offset Research Risks and Burdens are Qualitatively Different,” published in The American Journal of Bioethics, Barbara Bierer joins co-authors Luke Gelinas and Benjamin C. Silverman to examine how indirect benefits offered to research participants (e.g., payments, access to medicines) differ fundamentally from direct benefits that justify risk. The authors argue that these categories of benefit must be conceptually and ethically distinguished in research design and review. Their commentary challenges current interpretations of benefit-risk assessment and calls for greater nuance in ethical review frameworks.

Gelinas, L., Silverman, B. C., & Bierer, B. E. (2025). Benefits that Offset Research Risks and Burdens are Qualitatively Different. The American Journal of Bioethics, 25(5), 78–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2025.2488293