All employees, faculty, staff, students and/or agents of Emory University engaged in the conduct of human subject research must have reviewed and be familiar with the principles of “The Belmont Report: Ethical Principles and Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research”, along with applicable Federal and State laws and institutional policies regarding Human Subjects Research.

Training Requirement:
Prior to submitting research protocols for review and approval by the EU IRB, all Key Research Personnellisted on an Emory IRB submission, regardless of their position, must complete the web-based Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) Program in the Protection of Human Subjects in Research available at http://www.citiprogram.org/

What is CITI? The Collaborative IRB Training Initiative Program (CITI) is a leading online training program maintained by the University of Miami. It offers curricula in human subjects research, animal research, and the responsible conduct of research. If you are a first-time CITI user, please review instructions on getting started. Additional instructions for VA researchers are also available.

Who has to take CITI? The training requirement applies to anyone conducting human subjects research activities at Emory. This means anyone working directly with human subjects or with identifiable data or biological specimens for research purposes under Emory University auspices. Investigators, research nurses, coordinators, students, technicians working with identifiable data, and faculty advisors would all need to obtain CITI certification.

Which CITI course do I have to take? You must take the course that is the most appropriate for your type of research. For example, clinical trial investigators should take the biomedical course. In addition, Veterans Administration-affiliated employees must take the VA course. Sociobehavioral researchers should take the social science course. Researchers in the interdisciplinary field of public health may take either course and are encouraged to choose the one more closely aligned with their project’s activities. School of Medicine researchers and staff must take the biomedical course.

How long is my certification effective? For IRB purposes, certification is good for two years for Emory personnel and only one year for Atlanta VA Medical Center researchers.  CITI offers refresher courses for recertification. Please see instructions for Emory personnel and for VA researchers.

HIPAA Training:  Information about HIPAA Training is provided by the Emory University Office of Research Compliance and may be accessed using this link.

Emory University Covered Component: Any of the units that make up the Emory University Robert Woodruff Health Sciences Center including the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Public Health, and Yerkes National Primate Research Center; Emory Healthcare; Emory Hospitals; Emory Student Health Services; Emory Psychological Center; University Counseling Center and Oxford College Student Health Service and Counseling Center.

Individually Identifiable Information:  Health information including demographic information, that identifies the individual or with respect to which there is a reasonable basis to believe the information can be used to identify the individual.

Protected Health Information:  Individually identifiable health information that is transmitted by electronic media or transmitted or maintained in any other form or medium.

De-identified:  Information that has certain identifiers (Click here to see examples of identifiers) removed in accordance with 45 CFR 164.514; no longer considered to be Protected Health Information.  It is important to note that voice recordings are considered identifiers.  If you plan to audio record interviews for transcription, even if you plan to destroy the source, these recordings are considered identifiable.

Human Participant Protections Education for Research Teams is a free, online course with information about the rights and welfare of human participants in research. This two-hour tutorial satisfies the NIH training requirement for obtaining Federal Funds.

The Office of Human Subjects Research offers another online tutorial from NIH. This course provides information for IRB members about their roles and responsibilities.

IRB Helpdesk - walk-in help at the IRB Office!
Fridays 11 am - 1 pm
1599 Clifton Road
5th Floor East
Atlanta, GA 30322

Sociobehavioral Help Clinic
Dobbs University Center (DUC)
4th Friday each month, 11am - 1pm
*Not held in June and July