Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) is a membership-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 which is dedicated to advancing ethical standards in the conduct of biomedical and social, behavioral, and educational research. In keeping with both federal regulations and long standing ethical tenets, PRIM&R works to ensure that all research is conducted in an ethical manner. Since 1974, approximately 250,000 people from around the world have participated in PRIM&R’s educational programming.

Educational Programs

PRIM&R hosts at least two conferences annually: a human research protection programs (HRPP) conference and an animal care and use

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees are of central importance to the application of laws to animal research in the United States. Most research involving laboratory animals is funded by the United States National Institutes of Health or other federal agencies...

 conference. Other past conference topics have included ethical issues in social, behavioral, and educational research; privacy and confidentiality; conflicts of interest; the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996. It was originally sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy and Sen. Nancy Kassebaum . Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their...

 (HIPAA); and ethical oversight of stem cell research. At these educational events those representing research institutions, hospitals, universities, the federal government

Federal government

The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...

, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and advocacy groups meet to consider key ethical, regulatory, and policy issues related to human and animal subjects research.

In addition to conferences, PRIM&R offers on-site educational programs, including Institutional Review Board

Institutional review board

An institutional review board , also known as an independent ethics committee or ethical review board , is a committee that has been formally designated to approve, monitor, and review biomedical and behavioral research involving humans with the aim to protect the rights and welfare of the...

 (IRB) 101sm, IRB Administrator 101, Essentials of IACUC Administration, and Advanced Research Ethics, as well as remote-access webinars conducted over the internet. PRIM&R offers these programs both throughout the United States and abroad.

Certification

PRIM&R also supports two certification

Certification

Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...

 initiatives designed to promote the ethical conduct of research by strengthening professional administration of research programs. The two credentials offered are the Certified IRB Professional

Certified IRB Professional

The Certified IRB Professional program is a certification initiative in the United States for individuals administering and overseeing the daily activities of Institutional Review Boards...

 (CIP) program, for individuals working with institutional review boards and human research protection programs; and the Certified Professional IACUC Administrator (CPIA) program, for those working with animal care and use committees. To obtain certification, individuals must demonstrate that they meet the educational and/or professional requirements, and must pass an examination.

Newsletters and Published Materials

As a service to its members, PRIM&R produces a monthly e-newsletter

Newsletter

A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. Newspapers and leaflets are types of newsletters. Additionally, newsletters delivered electronically via email have gained rapid acceptance for the same reasons email in...

 that includes articles of interest to the research ethics

Research ethics

Research ethics involves the application of fundamental ethical principles to a variety of topics involving scientific research. These include the design and implementation of research involving human experimentation, animal experimentation, various aspects of academic scandal, including scientific...

 professional, news items, professional development

Professional development

Professional development refers to skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning...

 and educational opportunities. Additionally, PRIM&R distributes an electronic, bi-monthly literature digest, titled RED (Research Ethics Digest). A compilation of recently published journal articles, popular news pieces, and essays related to the broadly defined field of research ethics, RED, was introduced in 2008.

Other PRIM&R publications include an anthology of many of the keynotes, talks, and panels delivered at PRIM&R’s conferences since 1977. That volume, PRIM&R Through the Years: Three Decades of Protecting Human Subjects, includes articles which cover the core principles and practices necessary to conduct research in an ethical and scientifically responsible manner.

Membership

A membership-based non-profit, PRIM&R seeks to support the ethical and responsible conduct of research through the educational and professional development of its members. Members include professionals responsible for overseeing the use of human and animal research subjects at hospitals, universities, and at free-standing research centers around the world. Among the primary constituencies represented by PRIM&R’s membership are research administrators, government officials, and researchers and research staff, as well as members of institutional review boards (IRBs), animal care and use committees, and institutional biosafety committees, and those working with human research protection programs (HRPPs) or animal care and use programs. PRIM&R’s membership numbers approximately 3,000 and includes individuals from over 800 institutions throughout 30 countries.

Board of directors

PRIM&R is governed by a board of 28 individuals whose responsibility it is to determine and develop policy for the organization. The Board serves to supervise and direct the affairs of PRIM&R via a committee structure. PRIM&R’s Board represents multiple professional disciplines and institutional settings, including biomedical research; social, behavioral, and educational research; research subject and/or patient advocacy; pharmaceutical/biotech; health law; animal care and use; international research; policy development; and a range of related disciplines.

PRIM&R Staff

PRIM&R employs approximately 12 individuals to coordinate and execute organizational functions ranging from conference planning to membership recruitment to accounting. The organization’s office is located in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, MA.