Dear Colleagues:
As part of our efforts to promote the highest ethical standards in the
conduct of research, UCI is revising the education requirements for
investigators who engage in research involving human subjects. The new
education requirement applies to all faculty, staff, and students who
serve as lead researchers, co-researchers, research personnel or faculty
sponsors at UCI.
1. UCI’s Human Research Protections unit in the Office of Research is
adopting the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)
modules as our new web-based
human research protections education program. Two Basic Human Research
Training courses are offered, one for Biomedical Investigators and one
for Social & Behavioral Investigators. Individuals choose the course
that best matches their research activities.
2. Investigators are now required to complete a CITI refresher course
every five years in order to conduct research involving human subjects.
There are two Refresher Human Research Training courses, a biomedical
version and a social & behavioral version. Again, individuals choose
the course that best matches their research activities.
The CITI program is available at https://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp.
When do these new changes take effect?
* Effective October 15, 2011 individuals who have not previously
completed the UCI Human Research Tutorial are required to complete
either the CITI Basic Human Research Training course for Biomedical
Investigators or for Social & Behavioral Investigators before they can
be listed on a new IRB Application or added to an active, ongoing
IRB-approved study.
* Effective January 15, 2012 individuals who completed the Human
Research Tutorial more than five years ago are required to complete
either the CITI Refresher course for Biomedical Investigators or for
Social & Behavioral Investigators before they can be listed on a new IRB
submission or added to an active, ongoing IRB-approved study. Failure to
complete a CITI Refresher course may delay review and approval of
modification requests, continuing review applications, and new IRB
Applications. NOTE: Completing the existing Human Research Tutorial
again is not sufficient to meet this requirement.
You can review when you last completed the Human Research Tutorial at
http://apps.research.uci.edu/tutorialcheck/. Individuals who completed the Human Research tutorial more than five years ago will also be sent courtesy reminder notices.
A Frequently Asked Questions web page has been developed to provide individuals with further details about the CITI courses.
If there are additional questions regarding the new policy or the CITI
courses, please contact the Human Research Protections staff.
Karen Allen
Director, Research Protections