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Ethics | Collections | MSF Science Portal
Ethics

Ethics

MSF has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles that touch on humanitarianism and ethics. The articles range from rigorous peer-reviewed research on the health of humanitarian workers, to commentaries about the ethics of conducting research in conflict settings, to various approaches on how patients should be treated.

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MSF Scientific Days Latin America 2024

MSF Scientific Days Latin America 2024

MSF Scientific Days in Latin America 2024 focused on two thematic areas:

Climate Emergency in the Americas: What Are We Seeing as a Medical Humanitarian Organization and How Are We Responding?

  • MSF has long responded to health crises aggravated by the climate emergency —such as disease outbreaks, food insecurity, and displacement—and these events are intensifying in severity and frequency. This session presented examples of how MSF is adapting to address climate-related emergencies in the region, and explored strategies for future humanitarian action.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Interventions in Violence, Migration, and Indigenous Health Projects

  • This session explored the complexities of providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in some of the region’s most challenging settings. It focused on interventions in areas affected by violence, the mental health impact on migrants, and the unique needs of indigenous populations. The discussion highlighted innovative strategies, culturally sensitive approaches, and the importance of integrating MHPSS into healthcare projects in these complex settings.
World Malaria Day 2023

World Malaria Day 2023
MSF Paediatric Days 2024 abstracts

MSF Paediatric Days 2024 abstracts
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World Malaria Day is April 25th. The theme for 2023 is "Zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement" and the importance of reaching marginalized populations with the tools and strategies that are currently available. This collection highlights research on this theme, especially the latter two "i's": From research on Seasonal Chemoprophylaxis (SMC) and mass drug administration (MDA), to analyzing the reach of gene mutations (HRP2) in new environments, to other interventional research topics, these articles show how innovative approaches can be successfully implemented even in the most challenging settings to fight this global public health threat.
On 3-4 May in Nairobi, Kenya, MSF gathered staff from our projects with experts from academia, clinical practice and the non-governmental sector to consider key issues in humanitarian paediatrics. These included: Vaccination and vaccine-preventable diseases: Amid post-Covid-19 global setbacks in child vaccination coverage, sessions spotlighted recent increases in vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, potential new vaccination strategies and emergency responses, and MSF’s role in vaccine advocacy and catch-up campaigns. Nutrition: Talks covered the nexus of nutrition with other key conference topics, the latest malnutrition guidance and tools, and MSF’s priorities in nutritional care. Paediatric HIV: With half of all HIV-positive children globally not receiving antiretroviral therapy, presenters reviewed the latest paediatric testing/treatment recommendations and discussed barriers and potential solutions to implementation, nutritional challenges in children with HIV, and systems strengthening for preventing and monitoring paediatric HIV. Click below to read the abstracts. And stay tuned for more conference content, coming soon.
Journal Article
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Commentary

Mixing methods: How listening to researchers, healthcare workers, and community members can improve the design of studies testing medical innovations for Neglected Tropical Diseases

Erber AC, Ablordey A, Addissie A, Ahortor EK, Burtscher D,  et al.
2025-09-30 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
2025-09-30 • PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Journal Article
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Review

Dignity-based practice in global health research: a framework of expectations

Bayingana A, Bhakuni H, van de Kamp J, Lariat J, Rathod L,  et al.
2025-09-13 • Lancet Global Health
2025-09-13 • Lancet Global Health
Conference Material
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Video

Application of the Médecins Sans Frontières clinical trial transparency policy: cost analysis of TB-PRACTECAL, a multicentre phase 2–3 trial in drug-resistant tuberculosis

Gotham D
2024-05-16 • MSF Scientific Day International 2024
2024-05-16 • MSF Scientific Day International 2024
Journal Article
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Review

Imperfect relief: Challenges to the impartiality and identity of humanitarian action

DuBois M, Healy S
2024-03-25 • International Review of the Red Cross
2024-03-25 • International Review of the Red Cross
One of the four core humanitarian principles, impartiality's substantive ethical and deeply operational nature directs aid agencies to seek and deliver aid on the basis of non-discrimina...
Journal Article
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Protocol

Responsible exit of humanitarian aid agencies at the end of programmes: a scoping review protocol

Bahati D, Sy H, Kalhor A, Marchal B
2023-08-23 • BMJ Open
2023-08-23 • BMJ Open
INTRODUCTION
In humanitarian settings, aid agencies are constantly challenged by difficult decisions such as when and how to terminate aid without harming the aid recipients, local i...
Journal Article
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Research

Health trajectories of international humanitarian aid workers: growth mixture modelling findings from a prospective cohort study

de Jong K, Martinmäki SE, te Brake H, Komproe IH, Kleber RJ,  et al.
2023-05-17 • BJPsych Open
2023-05-17 • BJPsych Open
BACKGROUND
Most staff stay healthy during humanitarian work, although some worsen. Mean scores on health indicators may be masking individual participants struggling with health...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Striving towards true equity in global health: A checklist for bilateral research partnerships

Hodson DZ, Etoundi YM, Parikh S, Boum Y
2023-01-18 • PLOS Global Public Health
2023-01-18 • PLOS Global Public Health
Interest in “global health” among schools of medicine, public health, and other health disciplines in high-income countries (HIC) continues to rise. Persistent power imbalances, racism, ...
Journal Article
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Research

Ethical guidance or epistemological injustice? The quality and usefulness of ethical guidance for humanitarian workers and agencies

Sheather J, Apunyo R, DuBois M, Khondaker R, Noman A,  et al.
2022-03-16 • BMJ Global Health
2022-03-16 • BMJ Global Health
This paper explores the quality and usefulness of ethical guidance for humanitarian aid workers and their agencies. We focus specifically on public health emergencies, such as COVID-19. ...
Journal Article
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Research

Preparing humanitarians to address ethical problems

McGowan CR, Baxter LM, DuBois M, Sheather J, Khondaker R,  et al.
2020-11-04 • Conflict and Health
2020-11-04 • Conflict and Health
Infectious disease outbreaks represent potentially catastrophic threats to those affected by humanitarian crises. High transmissibility, crowded living conditions, widespread co-morbidit...
Journal Article
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Review

The ethical imperative to relieve suffering for people with tuberculosis by ensuring access to palliative care

Harding R, Snyman L, Ostgathe C, Odell S, Gwyther L
2020-05-01 • International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
2020-05-01 • International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
Patients diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) continue to
experience clinical uncertainty and high mortality and to
bear a high burden of symptoms and other concerns.
Addition...
Journal Article
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Commentary

A Médecins Sans Frontières ethics framework for humanitarian innovation

Sheather J, Jobanputra K, Schopper D, Pringle J, Venis S,  et al.
2016-09-06 • PLOS Medicine
2016-09-06 • PLOS Medicine
SUMMARY POINTS

• Humanitarian organisations often have to innovate to deliver health care and aid to populations in complex and volatile contexts.

• Innovation projec...
Journal Article
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Commentary

The Ebola clinical trials: a precedent for research ethics in disasters

Calain P
2016-08-29 • Journal of Medical Ethics
2016-08-29 • Journal of Medical Ethics
The West African Ebola epidemic has set in motion a collective endeavour to conduct accelerated clinical trials, testing unproven but potentially lifesaving interventions in the course o...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Ethics and images of suffering bodies in humanitarian medicine

Calain P
2012-07-27 • Social Science and Medicine
2012-07-27 • Social Science and Medicine
Media representations of suffering bodies from medical humanitarian organisations raise ethical questions, which deserve critical attention for at least three reasons. Firstly, there is ...
Journal Article
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Commentary

Ethics of conducting research in conflict settings

Ford NP, Mills EJ, Zachariah R, Upshur R
2009-07-10 • Conflict and Health
2009-07-10 • Conflict and Health
Humanitarian agencies are increasingly engaged in research in conflict and post-conflict settings. This is justified by the need to improve the quality of assistance provided in these se...