PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Hedgecoe

Publications and source records attributed to A Hedgecoe.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Research ethics committees in Europe: implementing the directive, respecting diversity.

With the recent Clinical Trials Directive, a degree of harmonisation into research ethics committees (RECs) across Europe, including the time taken to assess a trial proposal and the kinds of issues a committee should take into account, has been introduced by the European Union (EU). How four different member states-Hungary, Portugal, Sweden and the UK-have chosen to implement the directive is shown. Although this has resulted in four very different ways of structuring RECs, similar themes are present in all four cases, such as centralisation of control over RECs within member states, harmonisation of REC procedures across the EU and increased role of political decision making with regard to such committees.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2001

Schizophrenia and the narrative of enlightened geneticization.

In this paper I explore the way in which scientists attempt to construct schizophrenia as a genetic disease using various discursive strategies. These strategies involve: referring back to earlier twin and adoption studies on schizophrenia inheritance; constructing genetic models to allow some rôle for single gene versions of the condition; a cautious and responsible limit on the strength of current research; and the construction of a range of bordering conditions which contribute to the genetic risk of schizophrenia. These various rhetorics produce a 'narrative' about schizophrenia which subtly prioritizes genetic explanations, while appearing to allow a rôle for non-genetic factors; I term this the 'narrative of enlightened geneticization'. This research has implications for scientific controversies, specifically the way in which critics attack schizophrenia genetics, since many of their points are already incorporated into the narrative. It also contributes to the ongoing debate over the rôle of social science research in the study of geneticization.

Genetic Diseases, Inborn↗