PRIM&R’s 2008 Advancing Ethical Research Conference: Balancing the Needs of Human Subjects and Science began with an inspiring Keynote Address by Ivor Pritchard, Senior Advisor to the Director of the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP).*

[...] Read more

It’s only the morning of first day of the conference, and we’ve already…

...and it's almost here!

Of course, I'm talking about the 2008 Advancing Ethical Research (AER) Conference, which is set to kick off in just three days. PRIM&R staff and volunteers strive to plan conferences for human subjects protections and animal care and use professionals that provide rich content and professional value. All that learning and networking can result in a whole lot of consumption: conference guides, forms, educational materials, session handouts, coffee cups, water, food, electricity… It adds up! Therefore, we also strive to produce these events in a manner that conserves energy, minimizes consumption of natural resources, and reduces waste.

As a general principle, the PRIM&R staff works [...] Read more

Posted by Joan Rachlin, Executive DirectorI was a legal observer/poll watcher in a small New Hampshire town during last week’s election. Spending 12+ hours “protecting every person’s right to vote” got me thinking about the role of a “protector.” What does it mean to look out for the welfare of others in whatever context? IRBs and IACUCs fall into that “protector” category, and, given PRIM&R’s mission, we do too. In fact, as our 1980s era t-shirts and sweatshirts used to say, “we’re in the protection business!” In any case, that big chunk of time spent observing and “[...] Read more

Posted by Amy Davis, Program Director

Last July, the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) published in the Federal Register, a "Request for Information and Comments on the Implementation of Human Subjects Protection Training and Education Programs”. Specifically, OHRP sought information on…

• whether it should issue additional guidance recommending that institutions engaged in human subjects research conducted or supported by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), implement training and education programs for certain individuals involved in the conduct, review, or oversight of human subjects research; orRead more
  

Welcome to Ampersand, PRIM&R’s new blog for and about the research ethics community (What is a blog? Learn more.). Here you will read postings from many voices including PRIM&R staff, PRIM&R members, and subject matter experts in a variety of fields. Our hope is that this new blog will provide you with timely information about news and events in the field of research, musings on related or unrelated topics, as well as insights into PRIM&R as an organization.

Why the title Ampersand? Well, not only is the “&” the primary graphical element in PRIM&R’s artistic [...] Read more