3 Simple Ways to Acknowledge Research Participants
In 1951, a young African American woman by the name of Henrietta Lacks visited her gynecologist to make him aware of her painful and maybe even embarrassing symptoms. He examined her and found a malignant tumor on her cervix.
During her treatment, the physician scraped the cancerous cells from her cervix. The cells were put into a culture and they survived and then multiplied. They became the first cell line to live outside of the human body! Mrs. Lacks’ cells were later used to develop new treatments and drugs, such as the vaccine to prevent polio, chemotherapy drugs and in vitro fertilization to name a few. Unfortunately, 22 years lapsed before Mrs. Lacks’ was recognized for her cells’ contribution to science. She never had the opportunity to hear the medical community say “thank you” or learn how her cells changed the course of medicine and human health.
The good news is medicine and research are becoming more community and patient-centric. Research volunteers are partners in research.
This shift presents an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions of patients and participants to medical discovery, and share why they are important to the process.
After all, discoveries could not be made without them.
Tips
1. Remember participants are autonomous individuals. Research participants volunteer their time and energy to assist in the research discovery process. Acknowledge them with thanks and compensate them when appropriate.
2. Recognize participants/volunteers in the acknowledgment section of scientific and lay publications. Example: We acknowledge our community partners, (insert names of organizations) and the study participants for their support of this project.
3. Reciprocate the volunteer’s participation through follow up communication(s) about the study e.g. thank you notes, newsletters, sharing information important to the participant or sharing study results when feasible.
