In November's Newsletter

The most recent issue of the PRIM&R Newsletter (members only) was distributed yesterday, November 30.

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

• A tenth anniversary tribute to Jesse Gelsinger;
• A recap of the 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference;
• Information on the 2010 IACUC Conference, including dates, location, and information on submitting an abstract;
• Information about the awards that were presented at the 2009 AER Conference;
• This month’s website feature of the month, PRIM&R’s events calendar;
• Information on the new CPIA recertification guidelines; and
• A featured talk from PRIM&R Through the Years. This month’s feature is a session from the 1996 The Responsibility of Oversight in Genetic Research and Technology Development conference, titled "Medical and Societal Implications of the Human Genome Project."

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

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Joan Rachlin

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” —Cicero

Everyone’s talkin’ turkey these days, and I can’t seem to avoid being besieged by information regarding hot cooking tips. Did you know that:

- Brining is back (it locks in the moisture)?

- Frozen birds often taste better than a fresh one, depending on transit time for the latter?

- The tofurkey craze is not a craze at all? In fact, it’s celebrating its 15^th birthday and sales are skyrocketing.

But who am I fooling? I don’t want to avoid this inundation of turkey tips, because like so many others, I love Thanksgiving! I relish the colorful and delicious meal, enjoy being with family and friends, endure the football watchers who commandeer the living room, and generally appreciate the non-denominational come-on-come-all inclusivity of the day. I wish, though, that the media were as interested in the true meaning of the holiday as they are in the food.

Then again, the questionable symbolism of this holiday goes back to the original Thanksgiving feast when, as the story goes, tolerant and eager-to-learn pilgrims were hosted by the American Indians, who welcomed the newcomers. When myths underlie the meaning of any tradition, the foundations tend to be shaky, and so it is with the rosier-than-real message of Thanksgiving.

But how do we begin to change the message and expand the meaning of this day? We each must decide what the holiday means to us as individuals, but we can rely on some old and trusted guideposts to help show us the way. Would you believe that the Belmont principles are apt here, too? They really do have wide application, no?

First, we can respect the hardships and losses of both the pilgrims and the American Indians, as well as those of the many other immigrants and indigenous people the world over. We can similarly honor and respect the courage of President Abraham Lincoln, who declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday in the midst of the Civil War; he understood that healing and reconciliation could best be advanced through an expression of gratitude for blessings large and small.

Beneficence is the second Belmont principle, and in its simplest form, means “being kind” and “doing good.” This is where the “thanks” come in, as each of us has benefitted from people who have “done good” on our behalf. In human subjects research, I have been struck by the manner in which some institutions and individuals actively care about and for the subjects. Similarly, some of PRIM&R’s IACUC professionals have told me about their annual ceremonies honoring the animals that make research possible.

Justice is the final principle, and this is the easiest one to apply to Thanksgiving. One of the most iconic Thanksgiving symbols is the horn of plenty, which symbolizes abundance of the harvest, and we can best embody the meaning of justice by ensuring that our abundance and wealth, both as individuals and as a society, are shared with those who are less fortunate.

The core principles that underlie the Belmont Report are rooted in the human condition. We are all connected, and can only get by with a lot of help from our friends and family (apologies to the Beatles).

So I end this Thanksgiving missive as I end so many of my thoughts and writings… I am grateful, really, really grateful, for this community of ours. I am grateful for the fact that you are committed to living your professional lives with ethics as the guiding star. I am grateful for my family, my friends, my co-workers, my neighbors, my healthcare-givers, and for those unseen, unheard individuals who do the things that make my comfort and joy possible.

We all have so much to be thankful for. They say that one of the secrets of life is wanting what you have, rather than having what you want, and a corollary of that truism is that what we want is not always what we need. I hope to work ever harder to give thanks for blessings large and small in my life and in PRIM&R’s organizational life. Each of you is on our list of people for whom we are thankful at this season of thanks giving and always!

Enjoy every morsel and mouthful!

Council Announces CPIA Recertification Guidelines

In 2007, PRIM&R launched its certification program for IACUC professionals known as the Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA) credential. The certification process was developed to improve the quality of animal care and use programs by promoting ethical practices and advanced knowledge of IACUC administration.

Since its inception, CPIA has grown steadily. There are currently 164 CPIAs in the country and the number of exam applicants rises steadily. Since the CPIA certification period is five years, early CPIA-certified individuals have been asking about the requirements for recertification. After a thoughtful deliberation process, the CPIA Council, the committee that oversees the CPIA credential standards, released the CPIA Recertification Guidelines.

To maintain certification, a CPIA must recertify every five years from the time of the most recent certification. Recertification may always be achieved by successfully retaking the CPIA examination. However, CPIAs also have the option to recertify by completing certain professional development and continuing education activities as described in the Recertification Guidelines.

Why recertify or sit for the CPIA exam for the first time?

The CPIA credential…

• Demonstrates the certified IACUC professional’s high level of dedication to IACUC administration as a profession.
• Provides potential career advancement opportunities.
• Validates the holder’s knowledge of his or her field.
• Strengthens the profession by providing an established body of relevant knowledge and national standards of practice in IACUC administration.

For more detailed information, please download the CPIA Recertification Guidelines or the CCPIA Policies and Procedures Manual.

PRIM&R exhibits at the 2009 AALAS National Meeting

Posted by Emily Butler, program assistant

The Denver Convention Center’s 40-foot tall blue bear!

Alongside 4,000 excited professionals, I arrived at the Denver Convention Center to exhibit at the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) 60th National Meeting. I quickly learned that the “National” in the title doesn’t fully describe the scope of this meeting, as the conference is the world’s largest gathering of both national and international laboratory animal professionals. The AALAS National Meeting is known as the event to attend for cutting-edge training and networking in all aspects of laboratory animal production, care, and use.

I quickly got to work, setting up a booth stocked with information about PRIM&R’s animal research related programs. While my station in the row of affiliate organizations was dwarfed by the glitz and shine of the laboratory animal vendors’ displays, it was gratifying to welcome a steady flow of attendees, whose experience levels ranged from novice to veteran.

For each curious glance cast on the PRIM&R display, I offered a quick overview of our mission and offerings. I spoke with a wide array of attendees, including local high school students, directors of AALAS-equivalent associations in Taiwan and India, and young lab animal technicians with aspirations to join the ranks of their institution’s institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC).

While some visitors were quick to exclaim their familiarity (“I love PRIM&R!”) with our organization, about two thirds had never heard of PRIM&R. My goal was to acquaint those attendees with PRIM&R’s mission and programs as quickly as I could, and felt successful when an attendee walked away with the expressed intention to visit our website, attend a conference, or become a member. I kindled interest in both the 2010 IACUC Conference and the Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA), and encouraged attendees who lacked the ability to travel to visit the website for webinar and member networking opportunities.

On November 11th, I packed up the booth with a long list of follow-up questions and the satisfaction of having introduced PRIM&R to hundreds of new professionals.

Day 3 at the 2009 AER Conference

Here’s what’s happening today at the 2009 AER Conference. (Please refer to your program for full titles and descriptions.)

*Registration for those events that are marked "Pre-Registration Required" has closed.

6:45 – 7:45 AM
Yoga (Governor’s Chamber A)

7:00 AM
Registration Opens (Delta Foyer)

7:00 – 8:00 AM
Continental Breakfast (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-5)
CIP® continental breakfast - Pre-registration required (Governor’s AE)

8:00 – 8:15 AM
Welcome, tribute to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, and membership news (Delta A)

8:15 – 9:15 AM
Keynote Address – Keith Norris, MD (Delta A)

9:15 – 9:30 AM
Break

9:30 – 10:45 AM
Panel IX (Delta B)
Panel X (Delta CD)
A Great Debate (Delta A)

10:45 – 11:15 AM
Break

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Didactic Sessions and Workshop Series E
(Please see program or daily schedule for room assignments.)

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Lunch (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-5)
NCI CIRB Lunch – Pre-registration required (Governor’s AE)
AAHRPP Lunch – First come, first serve (Delta Island ABC)

1:30 – 1:45 PM
Break

1:45 – 3:00 PM
Town Hall Meeting (Governor’s B)
Panel XI (Delta B)
Panel XII (Delta CD)

3:15 – 4:30 PM
The Grand Finale! Eight Learning Sessions
(Please see program or daily schedule for room assignments.)

4:30 – 5:30 PM
Closing Reception (President's Ballroom)

Opening Day at the 2009 AER Conference!

Posted by Joan Rachlin, executive director

Thanks for joining us if you’re here in Nashville, and, if you’re not, we miss you! We’re off and running, and what a first day it was.

The day began with a therapeutic dose of stand-up comedy, compliments of Conference Co-Chairs Michele Russell-Einhorn and Bruce Gordon. Things quickly got serious, though, as three awards were presented to three very deserving individuals: Jeffrey Cohen, PhD, CIP, founder and principal partner of HRP Associates, received the ARENA Legacy Award, which recognizes a PRIM&R member who has made an exemplary contribution to the mission and goals of PRIM&R by significantly promoting the ethical conduct of research through mentoring, teaching, and leadership.
Jeff is a former ARENA (Applied Research Ethics National Association) president who has made many “exemplary contributions” to PRIM&R. He has co-chaired multiple PRIM&R and ARENA meetings, and has taught at every kind of educational forum we offer – conferences, At Your Doorstep courses, regional meetings, and webinars.

Following the presentation, Jeff cited the fact that he has only missed two PRIM&R meetings in 30 years, and that the information gained at those meetings, along with the networking that took place there, were central to the success of his career.

Bob Levine presented the PRIM&R Distinguished Service Award to Charlotte Coley, MACT, CIP, Director of IRB Educational Programs at Duke University. The DSA honors the member who has made valuable and unique contributions to the field of research ethics, and who has attained distinction in promoting the purpose and ideals of this organization through writing, teaching, and writing. Charlotte has made many contributions to PRIM&R, among them co-chairing the Workshop/Didactic Sub-Committee for the past two years, teaching at several conferences, and by sharing her deep and wide knowledge of IRB ethics and regulations with the PRIM&R community.

The final honoree was Albert Jonsen, who was the recipient of PRIM&R’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research Ethics. This award is intended to recognize and honor individuals who have made a major and sustained contribution to the development or dissemination of the ethical principles that govern research.

The LTA has only been conferred three prior times… to Jay Katz (who, sadly, passed away last November), Charles McCarthy, and Robert Levine, all giants in the research ethics field. Al Jonsen, a moral philosopher who is widely considered to be one of the pioneers in the research ethics field and who was one of the drafters of the Belmont Report, told some warm anecdotes about the drafting process at the Belmont Conference Center in Maryland in 1978. Al thanked the audience members for translating the three Belmont principles (respect for persons, beneficence, and justice) into their daily work in protecting subjects.

Al also hosted an informal and interactive luncheon for over 100 friends and fans today. Stay tuned, and I’ll tell you more about that when next I have a chance to sit down.

Al, Jeff, and Charlotte are cherished friends of all who work in the subject protections field, and they have honored us by allowing us to honor them.

Three cheers for three spectacular FOPs (“Friends of PRIM&R).

Day 2 at the 2009 AER Conference

Here’s what’s happening today at the 2009 AER Conference. (Please refer to your program for full titles and descriptions.)

*Registration for those events that are marked "Pre-Registration Required" has closed.

6:45 – 7:45 AM
Yoga (Governor’s Chamber A)

7:00 AM
Registration Opens (Delta Foyer)

7:00 – 8:00 AM
Continental Breakfast (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-6)
Membership Networking Continental Breakfast – Pre-registration Required (Governor’s AE)

8:00 – 8:15 AM
Welcome, updates, and PRIM&R’s 35th anniversary (Delta A)

8:15 – 9:15 AM
Keynote Address – Ellen Wright Clayton (Delta A)
Keynote address – Professor Dan Ariely (Delta CD)

9:15 – 9:30 AM
Break

9:30 – 10:45 AM
Panel III (Delta CD)
Panel IV (Delta A)
Panel V (Delta B)

10:45 – 11:15 AM
Break

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Didactic Sessions and Workshop Series C
(Please see program or daily schedule for room assignments.)

12:30 – 1:45 PM
Lunch (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-6)
CITI Program Lunch - Pre-registration required (Governor’s AE)
NCI CIRB Lunch - Pre-registration required (Delta Island ABC)

1:45 – 2:00 PM
Break

2:00 – 3:15 PM
Living Room Conversation (Delta CD)
Panel VI (Delta A)
Panel VII (Delta B)

3:15 – 3:30 PM
Break

3:30 – 4:45 PM
Town Hall Meeting (Delta CD)
Panel VIII (Delta B)
A Great Debate (Delta A)

4:45 – 5:00 PM
Break

5:00 – 6:15 PM
Didactic Sessions and Workshop Series D
(Please see program or daily schedule for room assignments.)

7:00 PM
PRIM&R's 35th Birthday Party (Delta B)
Don't have a ticket? Stop by the Help Desk to buy one!

Day 1 at the 2009 AER Conference

Here’s what’s happening today at the 2009 AER Conference. (Please refer to your program for full titles and descriptions.)

*Registration for those events that are marked "Pre-Registration Required" has closed.

7:00 AM
Registration Opens (Delta Foyer)

7:00 – 8:00 AM
Continental Breakfast (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-6)

8:00 – 8:15 AM
Welcome (Delta A)

8:15 – 9:15 AM
Keynote Address – Joshua Sharfstein, MD (Delta A)

9:15 – 10:30 AM
Panel I (Delta A)

10:30 – 11:00 AM
Break

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Living Room Conversation (Delta CD)
Panel II (Delta B)
A Great Debate (Delta A)

12:15 – 1:45 PM
Common Ground Networking Lunch (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-6)
Research Ethics Brook Group Lunch - Pre-registration Required (Governor’s AE)
Lunch with Albert Jonsen, PhD – Pre-registration Required (Cheekwood ABC)

2:00 – 3:15 PM
Didactic Sessions and Workshop Series A
(Please see program or daily schedule for room assignments.)

3:15 – 3:30 PM
Break

3:30 – 4:45 PM
Didactic Sessions and Workshop Series B
(Please see program or daily schedule for room assignments.)

5:00 – 6:30 PM
Speed Mentoring (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-6)

5:00 – 7:00 PM
Meet and greet with the exhibitors! (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-6)

5:30 – 7:00 PM
Moderated abstract discussions (Ryman Exhibit Hall B4-6)

8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Movie Night – Milk (Delta B)

8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Poker Night (Delta Island ABC)

35 reasons we love our members!

It’s finally November and we want to give thanks! Starting with Applied Research Ethics National Association’s (ARENA) 61 charter members, PRIM&R members have kept us going through the lean years and helped us grow into an international organization representing nearly 3,500 individuals. We’ve spent the last 35 days revealing a few of the MANY reasons we have to be grateful to our members on Twitter and Facebook. In case you missed it, we’ve compiled the reasons below.

1. They send us holiday cards- sometimes even personal ones!
2. They send us lots of local treats, such as pralines, buckeyes, and coffee candies.
3. They are committed to the field of research ethics.
4. They embody PRIM&R’s mission.
5. They’re diverse.
6. They come from all 50 United States and 36 countries.
7. They help advance the field by becoming certified CIPs and CPIAs.
8. They speak many languages.
9. They get engaged at our conferences!
10. They contribute to our conference programs.
11. They pay their membership dues on time.
12. They become friends, fans, and hopefully followers in the world of social networking!
13. They let us use their words in our marketing materials and go on camera to help make our movies.
14. They host networking events and help us network with other organizations.
15. They send us photos of their grandkids!
16. They give us honest feedback.
17. Their phone calls can brighten our day, especially when they tell us jokes or write songs that make us laugh.
18. They give us nicknames.
19. They stick with our volunteer positions for decades.
20. They volunteer at Speed Mentoring!
21. They solve problems in our Online Communities.
22. They write blog posts and newsletter articles!
23. They give us tours of their facilities.
24. They’re friendly, altruistic, and creative.
25. They help advance science by ensuring that research is responsible and by protecting human and animal subjects.
26. They climb Mt. Kilimanjaro!
27. They’re committed to lifelong learning.
28. They have interesting hobbies—golf, fly-fishing, rally racing, antiquing…
29. They help PRIM&R get green, but not with envy!
30. They love animals.
31. They’re true card sharks when it comes to playing Texas Hold ‘Em.
32. They’re ethical.
33. They know what most of the acronyms in the field stand for.
34. They sing and dance along to Mamma Mia! and Hairspray.
35. They’ve brought us to this 35th anniversary milestone and we hope they’ll stick with us for the next 35!

Headed to Nashville?

Headed to Nashville for the 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference? We are, too!

Please visit our website for a roundup of whens, wheres, and need-to-know facts before you travel.

Thanks!

Where else will you find...

...more than 300 representatives of federal agencies?
...more than 250 subject matter experts on our faculty?
...more than 2,000 subject matter experts in the audience and all around you?
...more than 165 educational sessions?
...and everything else an IRB/HRPP could ever want?

The 2009 Advancing Ethical Research Conference is quickly approaching, and the PRIM&R office is humming with excitement to bring you all of the above, and more. Your last chance to register for this conference is this Friday, November 6 at 5:00 PM ET.

Among our goals is a determination to educate, energize, and inspire our attendees so that they can in turn educate, energize, and inspire their colleagues back home. We hope that you will be in the audience when Dr. Josh Sharfstein, the Deputy Commissioner of the FDA, kicks off the program with a keynote address on November 14.

Not yet sure about whether you'll be there? We know that it's an economically challenging time, but as you consider whether you can afford the cost of this conference, please also consider the costs of not attending. The need to stay abreast of regulatory changes and to understand the ever-present and emerging ethical issues don't disappear because resources are scarce.

In this time of diminished resources, we believe that investing in the PRIM&R AER Conference is a low-risk way to increase your staff's knowledge, motivation, and commitment to our shared mission of advancing research and protecting the health and welfare of human subjects.