Responsible Code of Research

Attention Faculty!

We need faculty to facilitate small groups!

NIH Training Grants now require that the names of faculty who facilitated RCR sessions be named in competitive renewals. Faculty often participate in several training grants and principal investigators can "use" their participation as needed (regardless of the Training Grant pulled down), but many faculty members are needed to make this class successful.

Please consider signing up for 3-4 sessions! If you experience any difficulty with the course sign up, please contact Course Director Tracy Wilson-Holden (tjw18@case.edu) or Malana Bey (mcb19@case.edu or 216.368.5655)

CWRU trainees acquire the professional values and practices of biomedical research. Generally, these involve decisions about mentoring relationships, the use of animals or human subjects, data acquisition and management, collaborative research, responsible authorship, conflict of interest, peer review, research misconduct, and the scientist as a member of society.

Training in responsible conduct of research is comprehensive, and occurs throughout the CWRU experience. Trainees begin to familiarize themselves immediately with mentoring issues in discussions with the first year advisor, and from the Biomedical Graduate Student Organization.

There are numerous RCR experiences available on campus throughout the year. We offer the following two RCR programs:

IBMS 500

Initial training in the responsible conduct of research (students only)

All laboratory-based biomedical PhD students are introduced to Responsible Conduct of Research in the mandatory IBMS 500 "On Being a Professional Scientist" course in the first year. This 1 credit, pass/no pass course involves presentations followed by faculty-led small groups. This course is not appropriate for postdoctoral trainees.

IBMS 500 meets every Spring on Fridays from 2:00-3:30pm. The course begins with a 30-40 minute lecture and continues with faculty-led small group discussions. Both components are mandatory and attendance is taken.

Macrina's Scientific Integrity is the text for the class, complemented by journal articles and other cases as selected by the instructor and posted on Blackboard. Please purchase the book in advance (copies at bookstore); some programs may have purchased the book for student and faculty use; please check with your administrator. Readings are mandatory and form the basis for discussion.

RCR+4

Training beyond 4 years (students and postdoctoral trainees)

CWRU trainees who are greater than four years beyond successful completion of the IBMS 500 course are required to complete and document additional hours of RCR training each semester. To facilitate this requirement, the School of Medicine offers a new monthly RCR+4 series in which various departments in the school organize and host RCR topics over the course of the academic year. All sessions are open to those students needing additional RCR experiences. The format follows the IBMS500 model in which a short lecture is given on a topic area, followed by small group, mentor-guided discussion of case studies or scenarios to help students rationalize through various research ethics questions. Trainees are expected to report their attendance at these events as well as write a brief reflection summarizing the activity and their take away impressions of the RCR activity.