CERTIFICATION OF CLINICAL RESEARCH COORDINATORS. Congratulations to RSO staff members, Amy Bratvold, RN, CCRC and Stephanie Zumbolo, MSW, CCRC, on passing the certification examination of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP). The RSO is committed to providing PIs with experienced, highly-trained CRCs to assist in efficiently and effectively conducting clinical trials. That’s why we’ve made taking the CCRC exam a staff education and development goal for all eligible staff members.
    The ACRP offers a certification exam twice a year for Clinical Research Coordinators (CRCs). To be eligible to sit for the exam, CRCs must have a minimum of 2 years of full-time experience in performing clinical trials activities. The exam lasts four hours and comprises 200 questions covering such content areas as: study conduct, IRB/regulatory issues, adverse events, informed consent/assent and laboratory/clinical activities. More information about the ACRP is available at: www.acrpnet.org or by contacting Deborah Lasher of the Minnesota ACRP chapter at lashed@hsmnet.com.
 

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUMAN-SUBJECT RESEARCH FROM THE NATIONAL BIOETHICS ADVISORY COMMISSION. The National Bioethics Advisory Commission, a panel that advises the president, made several recommendations for better oversight of human subject research.
Among the panel's recommendations are:

• Congress should create a new, independent office to oversee human-subjects research. The new office would develop and enforce new, government wide rules for such research.
• At least half of the members of university review boards that oversee human-subjects research should not be affiliated with the institution, and at least half should not be scientists.
• Congress should pass legislation requiring that all research involving human participants be covered under federal regulations -- even research sponsored by corporations without federal funds.
• University review boards should directly monitor the informed-consent process when doing so "would significantly enhance the protection of research participants."
• All researchers who study human participants, and all review-board members who approve such research, should be certified by independent organizations.
• Congress should set up a compensation system for subjects who are injured during research.