{"id":6128,"date":"2026-05-11T10:19:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ethik.geschichte.med.blogs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de\/award-german-ethics-committees-research-prize-goes-to-bochum\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T10:19:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T08:19:35","slug":"award-german-ethics-committees-research-prize-goes-to-bochum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ethik.geschichte.med.blogs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de\/en\/award-german-ethics-committees-research-prize-goes-to-bochum\/","title":{"rendered":"Award: German Ethics Committees’ Research Prize Goes to Bochum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The team is researching the review practices of medical ethics committees regarding qualitative studies and examining the challenges and opportunities for improvement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

The Working Group of Medical Ethics Committees has awarded the Medical Ethics team at Ruhr University the 2025 Research Prize for outstanding scientific work. The prize is being awarded for the Bochum-based research project aimed at improving the ethical review practices of medical ethics committees in qualitative health research. Dr. Sarah Potthoff (now at the University of M\u00fcnster) accepted the award as lead author on behalf of the team\u2014Fee Roth, Dr. Matth\u00e9 Scholten, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Jochen Vollmann\u2014at the summer conference of the Working Group of Medical Ethics Committees on June 5, 2025, in Berlin. <\/p>\n\n

Principles of Research Involving Human Subjects<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Medical ethics committees evaluate biomedical research projects based on scientific, ethical, and legal criteria. In doing so, they must ensure compliance with the essential ethical standards governing research involving human subjects, the rights and protection of study participants, and the freedom of research. <\/p>\n\n

In medical research, qualitative empirical studies have gained significance alongside established quantitative empirical studies. The award-winning empirical work by medical ethicists at the University of Bochum examines the review practices of medical ethics committees regarding qualitative studies and explores the challenges and potential for improvement. They demonstrate that, despite disciplinary differences, members of medical ethics committees and applicants for qualitative studies identify common goals for improving review practices\u2014such as strengthening qualitative expertise, improving communication, and better aligning procedures. \u201cThis demonstrates that ethical review practices suitable for qualitative health research can be achieved through collegial collaboration between researchers and members of medical ethics committees, based on a shared understanding of scientific quality, the justification of ethical concerns, and a shared sense of responsibility for ethically sound research,\u201d says Sarah Potthoff. <\/p>\n\n

Original publications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Sarah Potthoff, Ree Roth, Jochen Vollmann, Matth\u00e9 Scholten: Improving the Ethics Review of Qualitative Health Research: A Comparison of Review Practices and Suggestions for Improvement by Researchers and Members of Research Ethics Committees, in: Qualitative Health Research, 2024, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/10497323241293709<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Sarah Potthoff, Ree Roth, Matth\u00e9 Scholten: Qualitative Health Research and Procedural Ethics: An Interview Study to Investigate Researchers\u2018 Ways of Navigating the Demands of Medical Research Ethics Committees in Germany, in: Research Ethics, 2024, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/17470161231202135<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Funded by the Research Funding Program of the Faculty of Medicine at Ruhr University Bochum (FoRUM Ref. No. F982-2020).<\/p>\n\n

Press Contact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Dr. Matth\u00e9 ScholtenInstitute for Medical Ethics and History of MedicineSchool of MedicineRuhr University BochumPhone: +49 234 32 28628Email: matthe.scholten@ruhr-uni-bochum.de<\/p>\n\n

https:\/\/www.akek.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pressemitteilung_Forschungspreis-2025-des-AKEK_Finale-Fassung.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n

https:\/\/news.rub.de\/presseinformationen\/wissenschaft\/2025-06-06-auszeichnung-forschungspreis-der-deutschen-ethikkommissionen-geht-nach-bochum<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The team is researching the review practices of medical ethics committees regarding qualitative studies and examining the challenges and opportunities for improvement. The Working Group of Medical Ethics Committees has awarded the Medical Ethics team at Ruhr University the 2025 Research Prize for outstanding scientific work. The prize is being awarded for the Bochum-based research […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":6129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"author_meta":{"display_name":"Stefanie Happel","author_link":"https:\/\/ethik.geschichte.med.blogs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de\/en\/author\/stefanie-happelrub-de\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ethik.geschichte.med.blogs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0091-225x300.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["News<\/a>"],"unlinked":["News<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 days ago","modified":"Updated 2 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on 11. 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