Making Ethics Happen: Addressing Injustice in Health Inequalities

Abstract

Health disparities-reduction research and implementation efforts are based on high ethical ideals. Given the cultural milieu in which research often occurs: How do we make these ideals happen? How do we bring about justice and fairness in health? Sisk and colleagues propose “implementation science” as a key to making an “is” from an “ought.” They suggest that bioethical and bioethics-motived research be collaborative and interdisciplinary, including both researchers of many types and the communities and individuals motivating the research activities who will most benefit from that research and outreach. We agree. However, we argue that Sisk and colleagues underemphasize the many cultural and cross-cultural factors in bringing research efforts to fruition, especially when researchers and research subjects inhabit somewhat different cultures. We illustrate this and offer guidelines for implementation based on known best practices for engaging and addressing racial health disparities in the US.