Training in Responsible Conduct of Research

At Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ensuring ethical and responsible research practices are of the highest importance. Education in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) is mandatory for all graduate students, M.D./Ph.D. (MSTP) students and postdoctoral fellows. The multi-week course, led by faculty members, is offered annually starting in November and fulfills the National Institute of Health (NIH) mandated training requirement. 

The course utilizes the textbook "ORI (Office of Research Integrity) Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research" by Nicholas H. Steneck, which features case studies, discussion questions and online resources. The text is available online as a PDF document (http://ori.hhs.gov/documents/rcrintro.pdf).

The weekly lecture topics include but are not limited to:

  • Conflicts of Interest: personal, professional, and financial considerations;
  • Policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices;
  • Mentor-Mentee responsibilities and relationships;
  • Collaboration in research including collaborations with industry;
  • Peer review including publications and grant reviews;
  • Data acquisition and laboratory tools; management, sharing and ownership;
  • Research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct;
  • Responsible authorship and publication; avoiding questionable writing practices; plagiarism; and
  • Scientists as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research.

To learn more about the Training in Responsible Conduct of Research course and its requirements contact The Belfer Institute at belferinstitute@einsteinmed.edu. 

Scientists in lab