UC Davis believes that education is the cornerstone of human subjects protection. Only through education are researchers made aware of their responsibilities and held accountable for the ethical conduct of research involving human subjects. UC Davis is committed to the development of superior educational programs by teaching all researh personnel about ethical issues, IRB processes, especially informed consent, and Federal, State, and University regulations. Although our current educational program meets current national standards, UC Davis aims to develop a superior program of the highest quality. This proposal will concentrate on enhancing our current educational program with the development of a Web-based tutorial and Research Handbook, Seminars, Workshops and Symposia, the acquisition of equipment and instructional tools and the attendance of IRB members at national level IRB conferences. With the aid of NIH funds, we propose to develop the enhanced educational program with the assistance of a national level consultant. The national level consultant will have expertise in the IRB arena and awareness of issues at the national level. A professional writer will also be recruited to assist the OHRP Education and Training Officer and the Computer Programming Engineer in compiling and writing the desired educational materials. The educational program developed with the assistance of NIH funds will have a significant impact on UC Davis. With the instruments we propose to develop, UC Davis researchers and research personnel will have greater understanding and knowledge of their responsibilities in conducting human subjects research. UC Davis IRB members will gain broader knowledge not only of the regulations but of their authority and responsibility when taking action on studies. UC Davis OHRP staff will be better trained to provide regulatory and local policy guidance to its various constituencies. This will further add to protection of human subjects at UC Davis.
