What can Social Science Research Methods offer Bioethics? Case Studies from the Field

Abstract: As bioethics has become increasingly empirical, qualitative social scientists from the fields of sociology, anthropology, and science and technology studies (STS) have been drawn to the field. These scholars bring their insights from their home fields to their bioethical approach to studying medicine, biomedical technologies, and healthcare inequities. In this panel, we bring together social scientists from across these disciplines to examine the value social science research methods and theoretical frameworks bring to bioethics, demonstrating how such approaches can capture complex social relationships in empirical settings, elucidate nuances and heterogeneity in data, and illuminate new areas for bioethics inquiry. Focusing specifically on qualitative research methods (e.g., in-depth interviewing, ethnography, and content analysis), panelists will each present an empirical example: (1) a study of actionability and the politics of knowledge production in clinical genomics; (2) a study of the exclusion of pregnant individuals from clinical trials; and (3) a study of pediatric food allergy clinical trials. Through discussion of these examples, panelists will discuss research study design, experiences conducting their research, and specific ways qualitative social science approaches were valuable in the empirical setting and to bioethics inquiry. The panel will conclude with a discussion of challenges and limitations of integrating social science methods and theoretical frameworks in bioethics.