TRI is partnering with the UAMS Institutional Review Board and the UIC Center for Clinical and Translation Sciences (CCTS) to provide community partner research training through the CIRTification: Community Involvement in Research Training program. This is an online program designed especially for community partners.
What is a “Community Partner”?
A community partner is a non-academic person who may or may not be engaged in research requiring IRB approval. They typically assist research teams in conducting research in the community.
Will the IRB accept community partner trainings in place of CITI?
Yes, for anyone who is a community partner. Note that the IRB may also accept other training tailored to specific community partner roles, such as completing part of the CIRTification training, or other training provided by the study team. The community partner training must be described in the IRB submission.
Note that these alternative training option do not replace required human subjects training through CITIprogram.org for UAMS personnel engaged in research requiring IRB approval.
Who is responsible for ensuring community partners receive this training?
The Principal Investigator (PI) listed in the IRB application is responsible for ensuring their community partners receive this training. Training documentation must be kept by the study team. The PI or the staff member assisting the PI with their IRB application can forward this webpage to their community partners and direct them to the heading below: Online Training Instructions
CERTification Online
CIRTification is a training program in human research protections created by the University of Illinois Chicago CCTS that is tailored to the unique roles of community research partners. It is interactive and relevant to the roles and responsibilities that community partners have in research projects. The program considers community partners’ limited experience with research, discusses key concepts in research ethics and responsible conduct of research in plain language, and focuses on applying knowledge to real-life scenarios. Ideally, CIRTification Online will not only teach community partners about the importance of protecting research participants, it will also empower them to be active contributors to their respective research teams.
The online version of CIRTification introduces learners to the basics of the research – the terminology, people, and methods. It also reviews the history of research abuses that has informed current ethical principles, rules, and regulations.
The training program also:
- Covers standards and best practices for:
- Recruitment and informed consent
- Collecting and protecting data
- Handling challenges that may arise during participant interactions
- Reviews the role of the institutional review board in protecting the right and safety of research participants
Learners complete a knowledge quiz at the end of the program and receive a date-stamped certificate of completion. The program takes about 4 hours and can be completed in multiple sessions.
CIRTification Online is also available in Spanish. Simply access the training portal, enroll in CIRTification or login, and select the option to launch the course in Spanish (empezar in Español).
Online Training Instructions
To enroll in CIRTification, please follow the instructions below. Please select the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences only from the list. If you do not select the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, you will not be able to access the user information/progress reports.
- Go to https://training.ccts.uic.edu/
- Click “Register” (top right hand corner. Select “I am not from UIC”.
- Complete the registration form. When asked to select a site, select “University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences“.
- Click “Register” to finish.
- Visit the Course Catalog. Scroll until you find information about CIRTification. Click “Learn More” and “Enroll” to enroll in CIRTification.