Misconduct and Ethics Community call [March 2, 2023]

• Recording of the call
• Slide deck

The March 2, 2023 call for the Misconduct and Ethics community focused on learning more about the role of the ombuds in fostering a healthy research environment in a university setting. For this moderated discussion we learned:

• What is an ombuds?
• What does an ombuds do?
• What does an ombuds not do?
• How do ombuds mitigate toxic workplace/misconduct in academia?
• What do your ombuds office structure look like?
• Do most universities have an ombuds office?
  • If a university does not have an ombuds office, should that be a red flag for a funder?
• How do ombuds/offices differ from institution to institution?
• In your experience, is your position/office well-known and utilized as needed by students and faculty?
• From your perspective, what role do scientific funders play in responding to and preventing toxic workplaces?
• How can funders work together with universities to address toxic behavior and help our grantees?
• Are there university resources in addition to the ombuds office that funders can help inform grantees about should they encounter a difficult situation?

Speakers:
Jessica Kuchta-Miller, MA, JD
University Ombuds, Office of the Ombuds
Duke University

Dawn Osborne-Adams, JD
University Ombuds and Director, University Ombuds Office
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill