Training is an essential and integral part of conducting Research at TUSDM. Depending on your role at TUSDM you may be required to take several different training courses to fulfill your responsibilities. The most common training courses necessary for our researchers are found below. Additional biosafety and lab specific training modules can be found on the OVPR website. Please consult your lab supervisor for additional information and clarification.  

CITI Training

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) is a mandatory education requirement for all individuals who will be involved in research at Tufts. There are 16 modules which cover topics related to the protection of human research subjects and identifiable data.

Please follow our instructions to register for CITI training and complete the Tufts-specific modules. If you have any questions, please contact Ann-Marie Jacobson

Federal Conflict of Interest (FCOI)

FCOI training is required for Investigators before engaging in federally-funded research, every four years thereafter, and immediately under designated circumstances. This training is completed online through CITI. To take the COI mini-course, please follow our instructions for registering.

Good Clinical Practices (GCP)

GCP is an international ethical and scientific quality standard which assures the protection of research study participants. DRA requires all investigators and study team members who will be interacting with human subjects to complete this training before beginning study activities.  This training should be refreshed at least once every three 3 years in order remain current with regulations, standards and guidelines.

To complete the training, please self-enroll in the GCP Training available through Tufts Learning Center. Instructions for self-enrollment can be found here. If you have any questions regarding the GCP Training quiz, please reach out to Ann-Marie Jacobson.

Basic Biosafety Leve 1 (BSL1) Training 

BSL1 training covers an overview of the NIH Guidelines as well as biosafety as it relates to Biosafety Level 1. Topics include risk assessments, hazards of agents, exposure routes, PPE, engineering controls, decontamination, spill response, exposure response, training requirements, and lab responsibilities. The training must be renewed every 3 years. Additional information, including enrollment, can be found on the OVPR website.  

Basic Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) Training 

BSL2 training is designed for students, staff, and faculty who work in a teaching or research laboratory setting and handle human source materials, including blood, other potentially infectious materials, and cell lines. It must be renewed annually. The training is offered online and additional information for enrollment can be found on the OVPR website.  

Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) Training 

IACUC training and clearance must be completed prior to any personnel (faculty, staff or student) who wishes to perform any animal work or research at TUSDM. Additional IACUC training information can be found on the OVPR website.  

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training

Some funding agencies, including the NSF and NIH, require certain members of the research team to receive training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR). Tufts OVPR offers RCR training courses to satisfy this requirement. Please visit Tufts OVPR website for additional enrollment instructions.

OSHA Training

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Workplace Safety training (OSHA) is required for anyone involved in any patient care or whose job involves exposure to blood, saliva, bodily fluids. This training must be completed annually, and is available online. Contact Susan Peecher with any questions.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 gives patients a right to privacy and governs the use of protected health information (PHI) in research and clinical care. This training must be completed in order to request access to the AxiUm records system.

This training can be completed at any time through the website with log-in credentials. Please contact it@tufts.edu for more details and to receive log-in information.

CPR

Optional CPR training is available for all faculty or staff members. The training involves an on-line course with a written exam, followed by an in-person hands-on portion. Please contact Patti DiAngelis to receive an individual Key Code number in order to access the on-line training.