#MedBikini Backlash Exposes Research Ethics Boards’ Digital Gaps

A retracted study that said early-career surgeons were unprofessional for posting personal social-media photos of themselves in bikinis or swimsuits shows that medical research ethics boards are ill-equipped for evaluating studies of internet content.

The Journal of Vascular Surgery retracted the paper July 24, saying the reviewers failed to identify bias in the study’s design and didn’t get permission to use a database of young vascular surgeons. The researchers identified “posing in bikinis/swimwear” on social media as “unprofessional” behavior. The study was widely panned by other scientists as subjective and sexist. The senior author apologized July 27, acknowledging that flaws ...