In July's Newsletter...

The most recent issue of the PRIM&R Newsletter (members only) was distributed today, Friday, July 31.

In addition to our regular features, such as Recent Headlines, Government and Legal News, and Public Policy, this issue included…

• A link to our annual membership survey, so you can tell us how we can better help our vibrant membership community to connect, learn, and advance ethical research;
• This month’s website feature of the month – PRIM&R is on Twitter!;
• A reminder that September 1 is the deadline to register for the fall 2009 CPIA exam period;
• An interview with our volunteer of the month, Michelle Miller;
• Registration information for PRIM&R’s September Regional Programs and the 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference;
• A featured talk from PRIM&R Through the Years. This month’s feature is a session from the 1991 The Evolution of Protecting Human Subjects from Nuremberg to the Nineties conference, titled “Writing Miss Evers' Boys” presented by David Feldshuh; and
• A welcome to PRIM&R’s new project manager, Lisa Seidman!

Can’t find the Newsletter in your inbox? Check out the Newsletter Archives.

Want to become a PRIM&R member? Learn more.

PRIM&R’s Opportunities for Young Professionals

Since 1974, PRIM&R has prided itself on being the one-stop shop for information on ethical research best practices. To maintain this tradition, and as we look to the next 35 years, we are focusing on incorporating the next generation of research ethics professionals into both PRIM&R and the field in general. If you are a Young Professional, we encourage you to take advantage of the offerings we have designed with you in mind—and we also welcome your feedback on what else you would like to see from us.

We know that you need access to education to help you advance in your fledgling career, but budgets are tight. To help out, we’re offering a reduced registration fee to our 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference to those born in 1979 or later.

While you’re at the conference, we’d like to help you make long-lasting professional connections, so we’re inviting all young professionals to attend the Young Professional Reception on Friday, November 13, immediately following the opening reception. You can stop by to meet other young professionals interested in subject protections, research ethics, and HRPP/IRB operations, and talk about current issues and experiences in the field! Please RSVP by contacting Joanna Cardinal, membership manager, at 617.423.4112, ext. 16.

And to get that networking started early, if you’re on Facebook, you can check out the 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference event page and see who else will be attending. Or, if you’re on LinkedIn, you can check out PRIM&R's LinkedIn group and connect with others who will be attending. You can also keep up-to-date on conference happenings by following us on Twitter, and using the hashtag #PRIMR_AER09.

Finally, if you are still in school, you can still get involved with PRIM&R by taking advantage of our student membership rate. This category is for those who are still in college or graduate school but want to be first in line to experience world-class professional development. Learn more about the student membership on the PRIM&R website.

We look forward to PRIM&R being your professional home for years to come!

PRIM&R, in 140 characters or less

PRIM&R has joined yet another site in the ever-expanding world of social networking – Twitter! This micro-blogging service enables users to send and read short messages, called "tweets." Consisting of up to 140 characters, these quips are displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers, who are known as followers.

We’ve launched PRIM&Rconnect, our Twitter site, so you have more choices on how to stay updated on membership benefits, conferences, certification information, or happenings around the PRIM&R office.

We’ll be marking everything related to the 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference with the conference hashtag (#PRIMR_AER09). Feel free to add this to any conference-related tweets you might post. And once we get to Nashville, we’ll be tweeting there too!

If you choose to follow us on Twitter, you’ll be getting the most up-to-date PRIM&R information possible! Our online social network is constantly expanding, and we want you to be a part of it. Have you become a fan of PRIM&R on Facebook? Are we connected on LinkedIn? If you have any questions about PRIM&R on Twitter, or any of our other social networking outlets, please contact Anne Meade.

Certification means benefits!

If you’ve ever thought that certification meant filling out some paperwork, taking a test, and attaching a few letters after your name, think again.

The Certification for Institutional Review Board Professionals (CIP®) is a milestone that formally recognizes the holder’s understanding of the IRB and its operations, and signifies mastery of a level of specialized knowledge essential to high-quality human subject protections.

Sure, there is some paperwork, and a test to boot, but those letters—CIP—are more than just a benchmark. The CIP® credential translates to far-reaching benefits that affect all of the stakeholders in the human research enterprise. CIPs…

• Strengthen an institution’s human research protection program with a demonstrated body of knowledge
• Improve IRB administration
• Bolster their institution’s regulatory compliance
• Reinforce the precedence of research subjects at the sponsoring institution(s)
• Stand out as a source of expert-level knowledge during the accreditation process

To learn more about the eligibility requirements and the exam itself, please download the CIP® Handbook. Don’t delay – the deadline to apply for the September exam period is August 1, 2009.

Already a CIP®? For more information on recertification, please e-mail Shaquanna Philip or download the Recertification Guidelines.

Pssst! Did you know you can save $100 on exam fees as a PRIM&R member? Join today and take advantage of ALL the benefits of PRIM&R membership.

In June's Newsletter...

The most recent issue of the PRIM&R Newsletter (members only) was distributed on Tuesday, June 30.

In addition to our regular features, such as Recent Headlines, Government and Legal News, and Public Policy, this issue included…

• Registration information for PRIM&R’s September Regional Programs and the 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference;
• PRIM&R’s comments in response to OHRP's request for public comment on IRB Accountability;
• A recap of If It's Not Broken, Improve It: New Strategies in Laboratory Animal Care, a webinar held on June 4, 2009;
• A profile of PRIM&R Board Member, Paula Knudson;
• A featured talk from PRIM&R Through the Years, a 532-page compilation of presentations delivered by internationally esteemed experts in the field of research ethics at PRIM&R's past annual meetings. This month’s feature is a session from the 1991 The Evolution of Protecting Human Subjects from Nuremberg to the Nineties conference, titled “Should We Abandon Informed Consent?” presented by Arthur Caplan; and
• This month’s website feature of the month, the new PRIM&R Career Center.

Can’t find the Newsletter in your inbox? Check out the Newsletter Archives.

Want to become a PRIM&R member? Learn more.

Monday Memories - ARENA's 10-year anniversary

Was it strawberry shortcake? Carrot? Or maybe the standard vanilla? If you sampled the cake at the 10th anniversary of Applied Research Ethics National Association (ARENA), PRIM&R's membership division, which was folded into the organization in 2006, please let us know! We'd love to hear about this celebration, so please share your memories and leave a comment below.

Let freedom ring!

Posted by Joan Rachlin, executive director

Although most Americans know that the Fourth of July commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and while many of us still remember at least some of those first few lines, how many of us have actually read it lately? I certainly had not, and so as our nation prepares to celebrate its 233rd Independence Day, I Googled this extraordinary document and, after reading it, was filled with renewed awe, inspiration, and gratitude.

Beyond the barbeques, parades, and fireworks, though, I began to wonder what this holiday—and freedom in general—has come to mean to us 21st century Americans. What, for example, does "freedom" mean to you? I was brought up on Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech, and have read over the years about the distinction between freedom to do something and freedom from doing something. FDR's four freedoms were freedom of speech, freedom to worship as one chooses, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

British political philosopher Isaiah Berlin called “freedom from…” a negative liberty and “freedom to…” a positive liberty. He explained the distinction as follows:

Negative liberty is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints…Positive liberty is the possibility of acting—or the fact of acting—in such a way as to take control of one's life and realize one's fundamental purposes.

Some theorists have noted that "freedom from" something reflects the concept of "non-coercion." As such, the roots of research ethics go back to at least 1941 and FDR's famous speech. But there's also the freedom "to," for example, the freedom to participate in research. Your job is to ensure minimal conflict between those two freedoms through upholding ethical principles and the vigilance that you and your colleagues provide daily. Thank you for preserving and balancing those freedoms!

I also began to wonder whether there was anything particularly notable about our country's celebration of July 4th, 1974, the year of PRIM&R's incorporation. It turns out that there was a famous re-enactment of the Frederick Douglass speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, that day. Douglass spoke painful, but necessary, truths to his white Buffalo audience, and his candor and eloquence was rewarded with a sustained standing ovation.

Douglass was certainly an "upstander," not only on July 4, 1852, but throughout his life. Upstanders remind us that it only takes one person, or a small group of people, to bring significant change, just as Douglass did. Those interested in learning about modern-day upstanders can look here...

Enough of the serious stuff, as it's almost time to fire up the grill and head out for the fireworks! Whatever your plans include, here's to a healthy, safe, pleasant, and restful July 4, circa 2009 for all of you.

Obamarama!

Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Steve Niemi, PRIM&R Board member and director of the Center for Comparative Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, we welcomed the U.S. President and First Lady—in cardboard cut-out form—to our offices yesterday. Although their visit was brief, the PRIM&R paparazzi was able to snap a few photos of the staff posing with the couple. Enjoy!

Clockwise, from top left, is Executive Director Joan Rachlin and Dr. Niemi; Jen Levine-Fried, membership specialist; and Joanna Cardinal, membership manager.