In the ten years since the HIPAA Privacy Rule placed additional regulations on human research teams, a lot has changed in the field of research data privacy and confidentiality. We have provided updates on these advances in various ways, including at our research seminars and in some of our Clinical Research Times articles.

We have now decided that it is time to provide a fuller discussion of the research requirements for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of data. In this month’s CR Times feature article, we are doing something a little different. IRB Director Mary Banks and Pat Bass (Boston Medical Center General Counsel) have prepared an excellent discussion about human research data protection. The article is longer than our usual article, and there are ten multiple-choice questions at its end (instead of the usual four). Because of the length of this article, we are going to give you extra credit toward your recertification requirements. Reading this article and answering its multiple-choice questions is a requirement for recertification. Further details about how this article will be counted toward your recertification is provided at the beginning of the article.

Our thanks to Mary and Pat for this excellent work.

Also check out :

- “The CRRO Corner” to learn about upcoming Clinical Research training.
- “Dear IRB” to learn about the current Recertification process.
- “Things to Know” to learn more about conducting student summer research.

Learn more at www.bu.edu/crtimes.

You will receive points toward maintaining your certification in human subjects’ protection for reading this article and successfully answering the quiz questions.

Thomas J. Moore, MD, Editor
Associate Provost

THE 2013-2015 RECERTIFICATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 30, 2013… CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.