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Research Ethics & Compliance

Upcoming Events

CREST Training Series

Traditionally, responsible conduct of research (RCR) training has focused on ensuring that investigators follow industry-, agency-, and government-specific regulations to avoid the negative consequences of non-compliance. The Compliance and Research Ethics for Science and Technology (CREST) Series takes an innovative approach to RCR training by providing University of Alabama investigators with a series of enrichment opportunities that are intended to promote and maintain a culture of ethical research and innovation.

CREST Series webinars are typically one hour and are open to all UA students, faculty, and staff. All CREST Series presentations provide in-person Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training credit hours towards the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 8-hour in-person RCR training requirement.


Building, Maintaining, and Cultivating Research with Communities of Color in the Alabama Black Belt

Date and Time: August 28, 2024, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Format: Hybrid
Location: Northeast Medical Building Training Room – Room 1403 or Zoom

This panel presentation examines the experiences of four UA faculty members who have conducted research in the Black Belt of Alabama. The common theme that unites the panelists is their passion to improve the health outcomes of communities of color in rural Alabama. Each panelist brings a unique lens to HIV prevention and treatment research across the lifespan. Their varied experiences create the perfect cocktail of lessons learned and best practices for working with vulnerable populations in this medically under-served region of the state.

Partner: Department of Community Medicine & Population Health

Presenters

  • Antonio J. Gardner, PhD, MS, MCHES – Associate Professor of Community Medicine & Population Health & Director of Education & Evaluation for Rural Programs
  • Pamela Payne Foster, MD, MPH – Professor in Community Medicine/Population Health &  Project FAITHH Principal Investigator
  • Karen A Johnson ,PhD, MSW – Associate Professor in The School of Social Work
  • Shameka L. Cody, PhD, AGNP-C, PMHNP-BC – Associate Professor in the Capstone College of Nursing

Register to Attend


Authorship Ethics for Research and Scholarly Publications

Date and Time: September 10, 2024, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

Authorship disputes are a common source of tension between graduate students their faculty mentors. This CREST Series presentation will discuss the complexities of determining what contributions constitute a meaningful intellectual contribution that qualifies a contributor to receive authorship credit. This training will discuss the impact of authorship disputes on collaborative research relationships as well as tips for avoiding common ethical pitfalls in scientific publication.

Presenter: Kory Trott, JD, MPH – Director of the Office for Research Ethics and Compliance

Register to Attend


Truth, Lies, and Deceit: A Discussion about Research Misconduct

Date and Time: September 12, 2024, 2:30–3:30 p.m.
Format: Webinar

Although there are many forms of wrongdoing in research, only three fall within the federal definition of “research misconduct”: fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. Despite being a narrowly defined set of activities, research misconduct cases often highlight the complex relationships between authorship ethics, mentorship, data management, and collaborative research. This CREST Series webinar will discuss the research misconduct review process through the lens of real-world examples of research misconduct.

Presenter: Kory Trott, JD, MPH – Director of the Office for Research Ethics and Compliance

Register to Attend


How to Avoid the Pitfalls of HIPAA

Date and Time: September 16, 2024, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

Navigating HIPAA compliance can be daunting. Common challenges include conducting a thorough risk analysis, ensuring all PHI is encrypted, understanding the applicability of HIPAA protections and remaining updated with modifications in regulations. This presentation will discuss how asking simple questions during planning phase can help researchers avoid the pitfalls of HIPAA.

Partner: The Office for Compliance, Ethics and Regulatory Affairs

Presenter: Ronda H. Lacey, J.D., CHPC – HIPAA Privacy Officer

Register to Attend


Proper Handling of Hazardous Research Waste

Date and Time: September 20, 2024, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

The University of Alabama is committed to proper management of hazardous waste through its actions in teaching and research. The goals of the University’s hazardous waste program are to protect students, faculty, staff, and the environment from exposure to hazardous wastes, as well as to comply with federal, state, and local regulations. During this training, the Biological Safety program and the Office for Environmental Health and Safety will provide guidance on

  • Hazardous research waste identification and determination
  • Research waste storage requirements
  • Proper containment of hazardous research waste 
  • Minimization of hazardous research waste through best practices

Partner: Office for Environmental Health and Safety

Presenters

  • Juliette Commodore-Botoklo, PhD, CCHO – Lab Safety Manager and Radiation Safety Administrator
  • Kayla Harper, CCHO, HTL (ASCP) – Laboratory Safety Specialist
  • William “BJ” Diltz, REHS – Environmental Safety Manager
  • Cynthia Rodenburg, MRA – Biological Safety Officer

Register to Attend


Promoting Objectivity in Research: Identifying and Managing Conflicts of Interest

Date and Time: October 1, 2024, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

The design and conduct of research and well as the reporting of research results should be free from bias caused by investigator’s financial conflicts of interest or conflicts of commitment. Lack of objectivity in research can distort results and lead to incorrect conclusions. This training provides information about the ethical issues concerning unidentified conflicts of interest and the federal, state, and local requirements for reporting interests.

Presenter: Kory Trott, JD, MPH – Director of the Office for Research Ethics and Compliance

Register to Attend


Future Use and Ownership of Human Subjects Research Data and Biospecimens

Date and Time: October 8, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

According to the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (45 CFR 46 Subpart A) known as the Common Rule the informed consent processes must include one of two statements about the collection of identifiable private information or identifiable biospecimens for future Research. The regulations related to the future use and ownerships of research data can be traced to the ethical issues that arose in the treatment of Henrietta Lacks and her biospecimens. This discussion with focus on the ethical and regulatory considerations for collecting identifiable information for current and future research.

Presenters

  • Edward Shirley, MA, CIP – Associate Director, OREC & HRPP Lead
  • Daraius Guthridge MS – HRPP Protocol Analyst

Register to Attend


Research Rule #1 – Search the Literature: Thoughts on Comprehensive and Reproducible Literature Searching

Date and Time: October 16, 2024, 1:00–2:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

This presentation will discuss research library resources and strategies for searching, reading, and compiling scholarly literature. We will focus on overall workflows and methods for comprehensive and reproducible literature searching. Moreover, we will discuss interesting use-cases and challenges to consider when approaching literature reviews.

Partner: University Libraries

Presenter: Vincent F. Scalfani, PhD – Associate Professor, University Libraries 

Register to Attend


Understanding Open Access

Date and Time: October 22, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

This session will provide an overview of the international open access publishing movement, including the latest developments, and how faculty can utilize OA to increase research citations and impact without the cost. The following topics will be addressed in this session:

  • Open access publishing models
  • Benefits and implications of open access publishing
  • Article processing charges (APCs)
  • Predatory publishers
  • Open access resources

Partner: University Libraries

Presenter: Elaine Walker – Scholarly Communications Librarian, University Libraries 

Register to Attend


Increasing Research Impact with the Institutional Repository

Date and Time: October 23, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

This session will cover strategies to promote and share your research to a global audience by utilizing the IR and Green Open Access. We will do a live demonstration of how to deposit an item (such as an article or data set) into the IR.

Partner: University Libraries

Presenter: Elaine Walker – Scholarly Communications Librarian, University Libraries 

Register to Attend


Copyright & Fair Use Workshop

Date and Time: October 24, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Format: Webinar

Learn the basics of copyright and fair use with an interactive game-show-style session designed to help you think through real-life circumstances in the classroom and in research.

Partner: University Libraries

Presenter: Elaine Walker – Scholarly Communications Librarian, University Libraries 

Register to Attend