RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Translational ethics? The theory–practice gap in medical ethics JF Journal of Medical Ethics JO J Med Ethics FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics SP 207 OP 210 DO 10.1136/jme.2009.029785 VO 36 IS 4 A1 Alan Cribb YR 2010 UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/36/4/207.abstract AB Translational research is now a critically important current in academic medicine. Researchers in all health-related fields are being encouraged not only to demonstrate the potential benefits of their research but also to help identify the steps through which their research might be ‘made practical’. This paper considers the prospects of a corresponding movement of ‘translational ethics’. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of focusing upon the translation of ethical scholarship are reviewed. While emphasising the difficulties of crossing the gap between scholarship and practice, the paper concludes that a debate about the business of translation would be useful for medical ethics.