Several hundred people attended yesterday's conference "Research with Human Participants: The National Debates" at the University of Minnesota, with hundreds more participating by webcast. Renowned scholars and policymakers discussed the complexities of obtaining informed consent, the nuances of conflicts of interest, and the ways those engaged in research can and should build a more robust infrastructure for clinical trials. Keynotes by Jeffrey R. Botkin, chair of the federal Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP) and Scott Y. H. Kim of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) were followed by several moderated panels including extensive question and answer periods. The conference was planned and hosted by the Consortium and sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research with the goal of identifying ways to improve protections for research participants; videos of all sessions will be posted on the Consortium's website the week of Dec. 7.