by Jennifer Vergara-Jimenez, MD, MS Bioethics, Assistant Director of Research Compliance, Jaeb Center for Health Research and Adjunct Faculty, South University Health Programs

PRIM&R is pleased to introduce another member of the PRIM&R Blog Squad for the 2013 Advancing Ethical Research (AER) Conference. The Blog Squad is composed of PRIM&R members who will blog here, on Ampersand, to give our readers an inside peek of what’s happening at the conference on November 7-9 in Boston, MA.

This is the second time I have had the privilege to participate in a PRIM&R conference. In June of 2010, I was just starting my current position as assistant director of research compliance at the Jaeb Center for Health Research. Despite my years of experience with clinical research and ethics committees in Colombia, I felt challenged by the complex regulations and policies governing human subjects research in the United States.

When exploring training options, I found that PRIM&R consistently had the best continuing education programs. Two months later I was a PRIM&R member, and by December I was on my way to Boston to immerse myself in the issues relevant to research ethics in the US as an attendee at PRIM&R’s 2011 Social, Behavioral, and Educational Conference and the pre-conference program, Institutional Review Board 101. I was amazed by the organization, speakers, content, and spaces for communication that served to make the conference a perfect place for all those involved in the field of human subjects protections.

Over the years I have gained additional experience, and my interest in the research ethics field has increased significantly, leading me to complete a master’s program in bioethics. I am looking forward to coming back to one of PRIM&R’s conferences, now as a member of the PRIM&R Blog Squad, and learning, sharing, and connecting.