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Research Ethics Education

The Florida Department of Health has adopted the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) program for researchers and all study personnel to fulfill required training in research ethics. Institutional Review Board members at the Department also complete the CITI Program, and a new training requirement (July 2007) applies to the following personnel:

  • Division Directors
  • Bureau Chiefs
  • all epidemiology staff who have a masters degree or higher academic degree

The department is dedicated to the highest ethical and legal standards of the practice of public health and the protection of human subject research. Most of the professional public health employees of the department are routinely engaged in public health practice, not human subject research. The distinctions between public health practice and human subject research are not always explicitly clear.

A certification of completion that the training was successfully completed will be included in the Track It records system.

CME/CEU Credit for the CITI course

You may be eligible for continuing education credits when you complete the course. You must complete a minimum of 12 modules from the Basic Course with an aggregate score of 70% correct on the quizzes to be eligible for 6 Credits. For the Refresher Course you must complete a minimum of 20 modules with an aggregate score of 70% correct on the quizzes to be eligible for 2 Credits. For details see the CITI website for CME/CEU policy.

Instructions

  1. Click on the link to the CITI Online training
  2. Register by selecting “New Users”
  3. Select the “Participating Institutions” drop-down menu choose “Florida Department of Health” (leave the other drop-down selections blank)
  4. Create your own username and password
  5. Enter your name and email address
  6. Enter “Member information”; note: under the question “What is your role in research?” enter “Public Health Epidemiologist" if that is your role
  7. Select Groups: If you are completing CITI to fulfill the Deputy Secretary's July 2007 requirement that Division Directors, Bureau Chiefs, and all epidemiology staff who have a masters degree or higher academic degree complete the CITI course, then Select Group 4: Epidemiology/Public Heath Practice
  8. Start the course by selecting the “Grade Book Link” in red to enter the course
  9. Upon completion of the course, print out your “Course Completion Report” and submit to your Track It Coordinator.

The CITI Training is also available in Spanish, and Simplified Chinese, French, and Portuguese.