Navigating the dual roles of translational researchers: A qualitative study on ethical challenges

Translational researchers often occupy multiple roles that carry different ethical responsibilities, creating tensions not fully addressed by traditional research or clinical ethics frameworks. This qualitative study explored how translational researchers understand and navigate conflicts between their responsibilities as researchers and their roles as clinicians or community advocates. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 participants, including clinical trialists, community-engaged researchers, data scientists, bioethicists, and regulatory officials. Interview data were analyzed thematically using a grounded theory approach to identify the types of ethical tensions researchers experience. Participants described role conflicts most frequently in the context of clinician-researcher relationships, particularly around participant welfare, therapeutic misconception, recruitment bias, equipoise, and the boundaries between research and care. Researchers occupying roles as community advocates described related tensions between maintaining scientific rigor and honoring obligations to community welfare, trust, and responsiveness. While some participants viewed research and clinical or community roles as largely compatible, others emphasized the persistent tensions requiring ongoing ethical reflection. These findings suggest that translational researchers could benefit from ethics guidance and training that extends beyond regulatory compliance, and explicitly addresses the management of conflicts arising from overlapping professional obligations.