Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in Boston, Massachusetts. The organization was formed in 1974 by a group of researchers who sought to ensure that the concerns and experiences of those working in biomedical research would be reflected in the growing body of federal regulations governing the field. Among PRIM&R's principal activities are education, membership services, certification programs,

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

initiatives, and professional development programs. The key constituencies for PRIM&R's programming are human research protection professionals, animal care and use professionals, federal representatives, institutional officials, researchers and research staff, representatives of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, those working with community and voluntary health organizations, and ethicists. PRIM&R has a membership of more than 4,000 individuals worldwide.

Educational Programs

Annual Conferences

PRIM&R hosts a number of educational programs, including two annual conferences, the Advancing Ethical Research (AER) Conference and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Conference. The AER Conference is held in the fall of each year, and focuses on human subject protections. This meeting spans three days and draws approximately 2,500 attendees. The structure of the conference generally consists of three to four

keynote A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

and plenary addresses, 14 to 16 panels, and more than 120 breakout sessions organized into 25 to 30 topical tracks. Past speakers have included

Jay Katz Jacob "Jay" Katz (October 20, 1922 – November 17, 2008) was an American physician and Yale Law School professor whose career was devoted to addressing complex issues of medical ethics and other ethical problems involving the overlaps of eth ...

Francis S. Collins Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-geneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He is the former director of the National Institutes of Health ( ...

Rebecca Skloot Rebecca L. Skloot (born September 19, 1972) is an American science writer who specializes in science and medicine.Jessica Teisch, "Floyd Skloot & Rebecca Skloot", in '' Bookmarks'', May/June 2010. Her first book, '' The Immortal Life of Henriet ...

Stanley Milgram Stanley Milgram (August 15, 1933 – December 20, 1984) was an American social psychologist, best known for his controversial experiments on obedience conducted in the 1960s during his professorship at Yale.Blass, T. (2004). ''The Man Who Shocke ...

Philip Zimbardo Philip George Zimbardo (; born March 23, 1933) is an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He became known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment, which was later severely criticized for both ethical and scient ...

Jerome Groopman Jerome E. Groopman has been a staff writer in medicine and biology for ''The New Yorker'' since 1998. He is also the Dina and Raphael Recanati Chair of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief of Experimental Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Me ...

Jonathan Haidt Jonathan David Haidt (; born October 19, 1963) is an American social psychologist and author. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business. His main areas of study are the psychology of ...

, Robert Temple,

Frances Kelsey Frances Kathleen Kelsey ( Oldham; July 24, 1914 – August 7, 2015) was a Canadian-American pharmacologist and physician. As a reviewer for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she refused to authorize thalidomide for market because sh ...

, Dan Ariely,

Seth Mnookin Seth Mnookin (born April 27, 1972) is an American writer and journalist. As of 2017, he is a Professor of Comparative Media Studies/Writing at MIT and the Director of Institute's Graduate Program in Science Writing. He is also the media reporter ...

Eva Mozes Kor Eva Mozes Kor (January 31, 1934 – July 4, 2019) was a Romanian-born American survivor of the Holocaust. Along with her twin sister Miriam, Kor was subjected to human experimentation under the direction of SS Doctor Josef Mengele at the Ausch ...

Louis Lasagna Louis Cesare Lasagna (February 22, 1923 – August 6, 2003) was an American physician and professor of medicine, known for his revision of the Hippocratic Oath. Early life and education Lasagna was an internationally recognized and respected e ...

, Keith Norris,

Susan Reverby Susan Mokotoff Reverby (born 1946) is a Wellesley College professor. She has written on the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, and she uncovered the syphilis experiments in Guatemala. Biography Susan Mokotoff was 14, when she got interested with hist ...

Joshua Sharfstein Joshua M. Sharfstein (born 1969) is a physician and the current Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He was Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health from 2011 to ...

, Jonathan Woodson, and Ellen Wright Clayton. The two-day IACUC Conference focuses on issues pertaining to the care and use of animals in research. It typically draws 600 to 700 attendees, and includes three to four

and plenary addresses, four to five panels, and approximately 75 breakout sessions. Past speakers have included Temple Grandin,

Bernard Rollin Bernard Elliot Rollin (February 18, 1943 – November 19, 2021) was an American philosopher, who was emeritus professor of philosophy, animal sciences, and biomedical sciences at Colorado State University. He was considered to be the "father of ...

, Evan Snyder,

Colin Blakemore Sir Colin Blakemore, , Hon (1 June 1944 – 27 June 2022) was a British neurobiologist, specialising in vision and the development of the brain. He was Yeung Kin Man Professor of Neuroscience and senior fellow of the Hong Kong Institute for Adv ...

Henry Spira Henry Spira (19 June 1927 – 12 September 1998) was an American activist for socialism and animal rights, who is regarded by some as one of the most effective animal advocates of the 20th century.Singer, in Spira and Singer 2006, pp. 214–215. ...

Tom Beauchamp Tom Lamar Beauchamp (born 1939) is an American philosopher specializing in the work of David Hume, moral philosophy, bioethics, and animal ethics. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Georgetown University, where he was Senior Research Schola ...

, Stuart Zola, Margaret Landi, and Georgia Mason. Additionally, PRIM&R has hosted a number of smaller meetings on new developments in research, including dedicated conferences on

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, organ transplantation,

reproductive technologies Reproductive technology encompasses all current and anticipated uses of technology in human and animal reproduction, including assisted reproductive technology, contraception and others. It is also termed Assisted Reproductive Technology, where it ...

, ethical issues in social, behavioral, and educational research (SBER), privacy and confidentiality, conflicts of interest, the responsible conduct of research, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Pre-Conference Programs

PRIM&R's pre-conference programs, usually one day in length, precede the AER and IACUC conferences, and provide attendees with the opportunity to engage in intensive examination of key areas in the field of research oversight. Each course is aimed at providing participants with an understanding of both the regulatory and ethical precepts underlying work in

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...

. Annual pre-conference offerings include: *IRB 101^sm (an introduction to the history and regulations that govern the institutional review board (IRB)), *IACUC 101 (an overview of the laws, regulations, and policies that govern the humane care and use of laboratory animals), *IRB 201 (a detailed look at the criteria for review of research protocols), *Essentials of IACUC Administration (an examination of the key components of an integrated animal care and use program), and *Advanced Research Ethics (an advanced course that explores complex topics in human research protections). In addition, special in-depth programs on hot topics in the field are regularly offered. Past programs have addressed

informed consent Informed consent is a principle in medical ethics and medical law, that a patient must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about their medical care. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of treatme ...

, investigator responsibilities, tissue banking, research in resource-scarce countries, and internet research.

Regional Meetings

PRIM&R offers two to three regional meetings each year to promote shared problem solving, networking, and communication among the research ethics professionals in a given region. Past locations for regional meetings have included

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, St. Louis, Tucson,

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

, and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. Courses that have been offered in these cities include Essentials of IACUC Administration, Institutional Review Board (IRB) 101sm, IRB 201, IRB 250, and IRB Administration 101.

At Your Doorstep Programs

At Your Doorstep (AYD) is a customizable offering that brings PRIM&R's educational programming and faculty directly to an institution. Since its launch in 1998, PRIM&R's AYD program has brought its two most popular courses, IRB 101^sm and IRB 250, to more than 150 institutions, and has had more than 15,000 participants. AYD events have been hosted by

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

, the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, the

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

, the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

, and

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

Webinars

Since 2005, PRIM&R has offered

webinars Web conferencing is used as an umbrella term for various types of online conferencing and collaborative services including webinars (web seminars), webcasts, and web meetings. Sometimes it may be used also in the more narrow sense of the peer-le ...

. PRIM&R currently produces between 12 and 14 webinars per year. Some recent webinar topics have included: *Strategies for addressing challenges commonly faced by IACUCs and Institutional Review Board (IRBs) *Applying ethical principles in research conducted abroad, and in research conducted over the internet *Supporting the involvement of community IRB members *Analysis of current events such as the proposed changes to the DHHS " Common Rule." Webinars are generally taught by two speakers who present complementary aspects of a given topic.

Online Course

PRIM&R developed an interactive online course, titled ''Ethical Research Oversight Course (EROC)'', which explores the function and purpose of IRBs. This course was created to present reliable and affordable research ethics education individuals and institutions. The curriculum of this course is intended to provide IRB members with an understanding of the ethical and regulatory issues that underlie research with human subjects with the use of case studies.

Networking and Professional Programs

Membership

A PRIM&R's membership includes professionals working with human subjects protections programs (HRPPs), animal care and use programs, institutional biosafety programs (IBCs), research ethics committees (RECs), and embryonic stem cell research oversight (ESCRO) committees, such as administrators, researchers, research staff, institutional officials, government representatives, subject advocates, ethicists, policy makers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology personnel, and attorneys.

History of Membership

In 1985, a membership division, the Applied Research Ethics National Association (ARENA), was created within PRIM&R to offer a professional community for IRB and IACUC members, administrators, and others interested in and concerned with applied research ethics. ARENA's mission was to "promote educational activities, networking, the resolution and/or amelioration of mutual problems, and the professional advancement of its members," and had 61 charter members. In 2006, ARENA membership was integrated into the organization as a whole, and the name ARENA was retired in July of that year.

Networking Programs

PRIM&R offers its members networking opportunities designed to encourage the exchange of knowledge among research ethics professionals, including a Regional Connections program, which offers small grants to members to plan and host events intended to facilitate collaboration, a Mentoring Program for professionals within the field of research ethics, and an electronic membership directory to facilitate connecting and networking with colleagues.

Organizational Publications and Resources

PRIM&R distributes several e-publications to its members. These include the ''Research Ethics Digest (RED)'', an electronic, bi-monthly compilation of recently published journal articles, news pieces, and essays related to

research ethics Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

; and the monthly ''Member Newsletter'', which contains current information on research ethics and

regulatory Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For ...

matters, as well as updates on PRIM&R activities. In 2006, PRIM&R published a compilation of conference

proceedings In academia and librarianship, conference proceedings is a collection of academic papers published in the context of an academic conference or workshop. Conference proceedings typically contain the contributions made by researchers at the confere ...

spanning from 1974-2005, titled ''PRIM&R Through the Years''.

Knowledge Center

The PRIM&R website includes an online Knowledge Center that provides current and historical information and resources to the

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

community. The Knowledge Center is divided into six domains, each containing resources relating to a specific topic. These topics include selected regulations and guidance; historical cases and documents; PRIM&R program archives; a glossary of common terms; research ethics publications; and a database of

best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...

standard operating procedure A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations. SOPs aim to achieve efficiency, quality output, and uniformity of performance, while reducing misc ...

s, and templates for those working in human research protection programs and animal care and use programs.

Ampersand

Launched on November 3, 2008, PRIM&R's blog,
Ampersand
', is a voice for the research ethics community. Contributions to ''Ampersand'' come from a variety of sources, including PRIM&R staff, board members, subject matter experts, members, and others involved in the research field. ''Ampersand'' posts are education-focused and provide commentary on news and issues in the research ethics field. Submissions to ''Ampersand'' are welcome from members and nonmembers alike.

Certification

Certified IRB Professional (CIP)

The CIP program is a certification initiative developed in 1999 for individuals administering institutional review boards (IRBs). The CIP credential was developed by a group of PRIM&R volunteers to promote standards for professional knowledge and to support adherence to regulatory requirements,

s, and ethical standards in the conduct of

. Since the credential was launched, more than 2,100 individuals have attained CIP certification.

Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA)

PRIM&R developed the Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA) credential in 2006 for individuals administering institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs). The CPIA credential is intended to provide formal recognition of an IACUC professional's knowledge of IACUC functions and expertise about animal care and use programs more broadly. Since the credential was launched, more than 300 individuals have become CPIA certified.

Public Policy

PRIM&R's Public Policy Committee (PPC) promotes policy development intended to reflect the highest ethical standards and

best practices A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to other known alternatives because it often produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing ...

in research involving human subjects and animals. The PPC tracks policy initiatives and regulatory changes issued by government agencies and other organizations. The Committee also oversees the development of oral and written comments on particular

policies Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organ ...

that it determines are relevant to PRIM&R's mission and warrant PRIM&R's input. Periodically, PRIM&R will appoint a task force to draft comments in response to a particular policy

initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a pu ...

Awards

Periodically, PRIM&R bestows awards to recognize those within the research ethics community who have demonstrated excellence in their fields."Awards." Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research. 2014.
/ref>

Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research Ethics

This award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary and exemplary contributions to advancing research ethics, and, more specifically, those who have mastered a large body of information, have applied sound analytical methods to the resolution of particular problems and sound critical methods to the resolutions proposed by themselves or others, have synthesized their findings and those of others into new comprehensive accounts, and have effectively communicated the fruits of their efforts to others.

Founders Award

In 2005, PRIM&R bestowed the Founders Award to Joseph Byrne, Sanford Chodosh, Natalie Reatig, and Barbara Stanley. The award was intended to recognize the leadership, dedication, principles, and wisdom of four individuals who played critical roles in the founding of both PRIM&R and its former membership division, ARENA.

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is designed to honor PRIM&R members who have not only made a long-standing commitment to PRIM&R, but have also made a valuable contribution to the ethical conduct of research and to enhanced compliance with federal regulations.

ARENA Legacy Award

Established in 2006, this annual award recognizes PRIM&R members who have made an outstanding contribution to the goals of PRIM&R by significantly promoting the ethical conduct of research through mentoring, teaching, and leadership.

Special Service Award

The Special Service Award was given periodically from 2000 to 2005, and was intended "to recognize exemplary individuals who have made a valuable contribution to the goals of our organization and whose achievements promote the ethical conduct of research." Recipients of the Special Service Award were members or nonmembers who made short-term, but vital, contributions to our organization and/or to the field of applied research ethics for human or animal research.

Pillars of PRIM&R

The Pillars of PRIM&R Memorial Fund was created in 2007 to memorialize and honor

, Herman Wigodsky, and Sandford Chodosh, three former members of PRIM&R's Board of Directors. The Pillars of PRIM&R Memorial Fund provides awards to recognize and nurture early-career professionals who reflect PRIM&R's mission through research ethics scholarship, and potential for leadership in the field.

Organizational structure

PRIM&R's

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

are located in Park Square in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. PRIM&R is governed by a

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

who are responsible for determining and developing policy for the organization. The 23 members of the Board supervise and direct the affairs of PRIM&R via a

committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

structure. PRIM&R's Board represents multiple professional disciplines and institutional settings, including biomedical research, social science/behavioral research, research subject and/or patient advocacy,

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

industry, health law, animal research, international research, policy development, academic

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

, and a range of related disciplines. PRIM&R employs approximately 20 individuals who coordinate and execute organizational functions ranging from conference planning and the development of new educational programs, to membership outreach and recruitment, to drafting public policy comments.

References

External links

Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) records, 1972-2014
University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library,

University of Massachusetts Boston The University of Massachusetts Boston (stylized as UMass Boston) is a Public university, public research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only public research university in Boston and the third-largest campus in the five-campus Un ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Responsibility In Medicine And Research Educational organizations based in the United States 501(c)(3) organizations