Log in, for certification in Research Ethics Education

With India emerging as a hub for not just medical tourism but clinical research too, clinical and medical science research is now in focus. The legalities and the ethics of research have always been under scrutiny, and rightfully so.

The fact is, India is fast becoming a hotspot for clinical trials, with over 150 clinical-research organisations conducting live projects in the country. Unfortunately, not many researchers and establishments in the country are not fully conversant with the national and international norms of research ethics.

 ‘Research Ethics Educational Programme of US in India’ is an online programme, offered by Sri Ramachandra University in collaboration with the University of Miami, USA, through a ‘Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative’, (CITI).

Those interested in research related to human subjects (clinical, social and behavioural), animal researchers and biomedical researchers will find this programme useful. “It is a course that keeps the person abreast of the dos and don’ts of research, be it medical, clinical, or biomedical,” elaborates Dr V Deepa Parvathi, lecturer, Department of Human Genetics, Sri Ramachandra University, who is coordinating registrations for this programme. Over 1,130 participating institutions and facilities from around the world have used the CITI programme.

Over 1,300,000 candidates have registered or completed a CITI course since September 2000.
 
Customise your course

This is a web-based training programme on human research subjects’ protection and welfare of laboratory animals.

The curriculum is based on the CITI programme at the University of Miami. What makes this programme very accessible is that it can be taken up online, and has been structured to allow for a high degree of flexibility.

To suit the convenience and interests of users, the course is formatted in modules which can be customised. The user can even resume the course after an interruption during the course of study. 
 
 The different modules offered include Protection of Human Research Subjects, Good Clinical Practice, Health Information Privacy and Security (HIPS), Laboratory Animal Welfare, and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).
Each course comprises several modules. At the end of each of these modules, the person taking up the course will be tested with an objective question paper. The candidate will have to get at least a minimum score he/she undertakes, following which he/she will be given a certificate.

 The fee for the course (including all the modules) is Rs 1,000. Following registration, the candidate will be given a user ID and password, and will have to complete the programme within a year from the day of the first log-in.

While candidates have the liberty of choosing any number of modules within the stipulated time, he/she will have to complete all the chapters in each module to qualify for the certification.

“However, the candidate can take up the test any number of times, within the stipulated year after the first log-in, even if he/she fails the earlier attempts”, informs Dr Parvathi. For further information, log on to www.citiprogram.in or call: (044)2476 8027/ 2476 8029 (extension no: 665).