Weill Cornell Medical College

Research Integrity Division - Institutional Review Board (IRB)

HUMAN SUBJECTS PROTECTION TRAINING

Instructions

CITI Course in The Protection of Human Research Subjects: http://www.citiprogram.org

Please feel free to email the IRB Office at irb@med.cornell.edu or call 646-962-8200 with any comments or questions. 

Requirements

Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) requires that researchers and research staff engaged in human subject research complete specialized training in human subject protection.  Previously, WCMC’s training consisted of successfully completing the test based on the book, “Protecting Study Volunteers in Research; A Manual for Investigative Sites,” by Cynthia McGuire Dunn and Gary Chadwick, a.k.a. “The IRB Test.” The CITI web-based training replaces WCMC’s pencil and paper test for initial training requirements. 

Getting Started – Please Read These Instructions Carefully. 

The CITI program is completely web-based and can be accessed by any researcher anywhere in the world who has access to the Internet.  The “Basic Course” consists of 12 modules that can be stopped and started at the test taker’s convenience; the average user will complete the entire course in approximately 2 hours.  Although only the 12 Biomedical Modules are required by Weill Cornell Medical College, we encourage you to complete the additional Social-Behavioral research modules as well. These modules address current research issues such as Internet Research, Research in Educational Settings and more.

Please follow the steps outlined below to begin your online training.

1. Go to https://www.citiprogram.org 

2. Click on the link to Register for the CITI Course. This will bring you to a page with several drop-down menus

3. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Select the “Participating Institutions” menu and find “Weill Cornell Medical College" near the bottom of the list. All users must choose “Weill Cornell Medical College” or the training will not be registered with the IRB. OUTSIDE researchers and collaborators working on WCMC protocols must also choose “Weill Cornell Medical College” If outside collaborators have completed human subject protection through another means, they should contact the IRB office (646-962-8200) for verification of acceptable outside training programs

4. You will be asked to supply a password and username and fill out an on-line registration form.  When choosing a username, we suggest you use the first 7 figures in your WCMC email address (e.g. abc2001@med.cornell.edu would be abc2001).  Non-Cornell users or those without a Cornell email address should use a unique username.  Regardless of the username you choose, be sure to register using your WORK address, a work-place accessible email, etc. Please note: it is very important that you provide us with an email address (if you do not have an email address please call (646-962-8200) and that you carefully fill out the registration information using your work contact information. This is the record that the IRB will use to confirm that you have completed training. We will receive your information exactly as you type it.  If you need to modify your information later, please use the link "Contact Information” to make changes.  Additionally, you will be asked which test you plan to take, Biomedical or Biomedical and Social-Behavioral.  Biomedical is required of all participants. Social-Behavioral is optional, but recommended. 

5. At this point, you will be asked to choose a test group.  YOU MUST CHOOSE “Biomedical Research Investigators and Key Personnel” or your test results will not be accepted by the IRB; 

6. Answer “no” to the question on the page following the group selection (you must answer no).  At this point, you may begin your test by choosing “Basic Course” from the CITI “Learner’s Menu” – details for completing the course are outlined below. 

Please note: the CITI Program will automatically notify the test taker and the IRB office when an individual has successfully completed training. Though the IRB will no longer issue completion letters or “test numbers”, you will be able to print a completion certificate containing a certification number (CR #) which serves as your proof of completion of the Human Subject Training. The CR # will act as your "test number" for protocol submission.

The CR # is noted as a REF # on the CITI Completion Report.

To Complete the Course

1. You must start by taking the Basic CITI Course.  On your “Learner’s Menu” click on “Basic Course”.  The modules required by WCMC have been programmed into the software.  Start by clicking on the first highlighted module, “Introduction.” This provides background and outside reading materials that might be of assistance to you while completing the test and in your professional activities.

2. Once you view the Introduction page, click on the “Continue to History and Ethical Principles” link at the bottom of the page.  You will be taken to a new page that presents a few paragraphs of information about a topic related to Human Subject Research. When you finish reading this information, you will be presented with 3-5 multiple choice questions. 

3. When you finish answering the questions, you will be presented with your results. You can choose to improve your score if you wish (if you receive a non-passing grade, you must retake it) or you can move forward to the next module and follow the same steps. 

You may stop and restart the program at any point but you will need to recall your username and password in order to log-in.  The program can be accessed from any computer anywhere in the world and requires no special software other than a web browser like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. 

When you complete all required modules you will:

• Have the opportunity to view and print a Course Completion Report that documents your training.

• Receive your “Test Number” (Completion Report #), a series of numbers beginning with REF # which is located at the top of the page, above the list of completed modules on your Course Completion Report.

• Have the ability to apply for up to 6 CME/CEU Credits through the University of Miami School of Medicine.

• Have the opportunity to complete a voluntary, anonymous user satisfaction survey.

Please print a copy of the Course Completion Report and retain your test number. The certificate will contain your name, training completion date and an individualized code number called the CR number (REF #) (located at the top of the certificate), which will be your “IRB Test Number.” If you misplace your certificate or need to print additional copies, you need only log into the CITI Program website to access your account. From there you will be given the chance to print a new certificate by clicking on the “Completion Reports” heading in the main menu.

Continuing Education – CITI Refresher Course

If you have taken “The IRB Test” or completed IRB training at a different institution that has been accepted by the WCMC IRB, you must complete a CITI Continuing Education / Refresher Course every four years while you are actively engaged in research at Weill Cornell Medical College.

• For example, if you took “The IRB Test” in January 2004, you must complete the CITI Continuing Education / Refresher Course by January 2008.

• Likewise, after you complete the Basic CITI Course, you are responsible for completing the Continuing Education / Refresher Course once every four years thereafter.

The Good Clinical Practice Module is available for WCMC investigators. This modules is not required, but is highly recommended for investigators conducting clinical trials at WCMC. 

Please feel free to email the IRB office at irb@med.cornell.edu or call 646-962-8200 with any comments or questions.

Contact CITI Support for technical issues at 888-529-5929 or email to:    support@citiprogram.org