Training, Education & Resources
Photo of a woman sitting in front of a computer in a group educational setting

Find clinical research training, education, and resources by role. 

The Clinical Trials Support Office provides a structured and formalized path for developing study teams early in their career or new to clinical trial research. This includes training and education opportunities, as well as resources highlighting ClinicalTrials.gov, regulatory compliance, database management, research pharmacy, and more. Take advantage of the following information to strengthen your clinical research and increase your career development. Details on training and education opportunities available to faculty, study coordinators, and staff are below.​ 

Study Team Resource Folder

Access the CTSO Study Team Resource Folder. New documents and files will be added periodically. These include checklists, guides, and recordings of past events and training. A U-M login is required to access.

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Required Training

*Trials that follow the International Council for Harmonization Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) require the CITI GCP training. This does not include all trials, but enough for all trialists to be certified.

U-M provides basic good clinical practice (GCP) training for clinical trial study team members through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). To access the CITI GCP course, you must first create a CITI account and affiliate with the University of Michigan within CITI. More information is available on the HRPP Education Resources website.

U-M also offers The Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices training specifically for those involved in social and behavioral clinical trials. The three-hour course, offered by the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR), can be taken at a participant’s own pace. The course is designed to help learners apply GCP principles in an engaging course with relevant information and examples for social and behavioral research, as well job aids and best practices that participants will be able to implement in their everyday work. Topics covered include research protocol, recruitment and retention, informed consent communication, confidentiality and privacy, participant safety and AE reporting, quality control and assurance, and research misconduct. Please contact [email protected] or (734) 763-1748 if you have questions.

High reliability is a concept based around the definition of reliable as, “The probability that a system, structure, component, process, or person will successfully provide the intended function(s).” Research shows that highly reliable organizations depend on transparency, and rely on their employees to raise concerns in order to make improvements. Highly reliable organizations reduce the risk of patient harm because they have reliable processes, make continuous efforts to improve, and have a robust culture of safety.

All faculty and staff must complete the Universal Skills Modules in Cornerstone Learning. The course SAFE-90239 should appear in your “Assigned Training” plan but if not, you can search for it using the search bar. For questions, email [email protected].  

Michigan Medicine requires a web-based HIPAA training module for the entire workforce, including faculty, staff, students, volunteers, contract employees and others. 

To enter a module in Cornerstone Learning:

  1. Log in to the portal through https://michmed.csod.com/samldefault.aspx
  2. Click the magnifying glass to search
  3. Enter “priv” (the beginning of the ‘code’ for the HIPAA modules) or HIPAA

All human research at U-M requires Human Subject Protections (HSP) training through the Program for Education and Evaluation in Responsible Research and Scholarship (PEERRS). An updated Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (RCRS) course, which is part of PEERRS and is designed to meet federal and institutional requirements, must be completed by June 30, 2021. This requirement applies to all U-M employees and students engaged in any facet of research and scholarship, regardless of internal or external support. More information is available here(link is external).

The Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarship (RCRS) course and Research Administration course are required for all individuals listed on a Proposal Approval Form (PAF) or Award (AWD) for sponsored funding in any investigator role.

Faculty Education

The Clinical Trials Support Office's "Ask the Expert" sessions allow faculty, study teams, and staff to drop in during the hour to ask questions about their individual study or workflow needs. While pre-registration is not required, you will be asked to complete the registration form to enter the Zoom room. 

These sessions are designed for faculty to meet statisticians and experts from the IRB, Office of Research Compliance & Review, MICHR’s IND and IDE team, Investigational Drug Service, and more. Each 60-minute Zoom session will include a 5 to 10-minute overview of the research unit by each expert. The rest of the time is reserved for general discussion and answering questions. The goal of these sessions is to share information that helps you navigate the U-M research landscape and to provide a forum where you can ask questions that need answers now. 

Visit the CTSO event page to see upcoming sessions. 

The Department of Internal Medicine’s Clinical Trials Academy offers early-career faculty and new clinician investigators a combination of lectures and hands-on small-group sessions to teach the complex and changing landscape of clinical trials. The academy will teach practical tips to succeed including targeting cutting-edge basic research findings with relevant human disease, constructing the most pertinent hypotheses and questioning to catalyze innovation in drug/device discovery, teaching the fundamentals of clinical trial design, and understanding the changing landscape of clinical trials, from earlier phases to multicenter randomized and pragmatic population trials. 

Application and course information will be shared in the late summer/early fall. 

The Clinical Trials Management Systems (CTMS) team provides support and training to the clinical research community. 

Training requirements are based on the roles approved by your Portfolio Manager:

CLICK HERE to request an OnCore account.
CLICK HERE to request an eReg account.

Questions? Please submit a ticket to the CTMS team.

The Instruction in Monitoring, Protocols, and Advanced Documentation in Clinical Trials (IMPACT) workshop series is designed for study team members who are ready for an intermediate level of training. Participants will learn critical clinical research skills through a group learning environment and hands-on skills practice. Visit the MICHR event page to see upcoming sessions. 

This self-guided course offered through MICHR is designed to introduce faculty to regulatory responsibilities of sponsors and investigators of drug and device studies.

This course will:

  • Walkthrough the regulatory responsibilities of sponsors and investigators
  • Highlight the ways that MIAP can help with your IND or IDE application
  • Provide important contact information and resources

MICHR, in partnership with the CTSO, has developed a short, choose-you-own-adventure online module as a follow-up to the Orientation for Clinical Investigators. The module introduces the responsible conduct of research, defines important terms, and provides contact information and resources. The module presents materials to get started but does not replace PEERRS or other required training.

Offered in the fall, Orientation for Clinical Investigators provides faculty with an overview of information, resources, and tools necessary to comply with regulations related to clinical research and will help efficiently navigate the University’s research enterprise. This seminar is for faculty new to the institution or new to clinical research, and there is no charge to the participant or department for participation.

For questions, email [email protected]

Working with Industry is a workshop series for new and established faculty looking to learn more about the ins and outs of working on industry-sponsored clinical research studies.

Previously covered topics include:

  • What is the benefit to patients and one's career
  • How can investigators get noticed
  • The steps to get started - from receiving a protocol to opening a study
  • Which factors are important for determining study participation
  • How to negotiate a budget
  • Learning how to interpret monthly reports 
  • An overview of virtual clinical research
  • And more...

Presented through first-hand accounts from Industry Professionals, U-M Faculty, and Clinical Trials Support Office Staff, Faculty will gain a better understanding of the various aspects of industry-sponsored research and will learn strategies to ensure better results. 

For questions, email [email protected]. Visit the CTSO event page to see upcoming sessions. 

Responsible Conduct of Research for K Awardees (RCR4K) is a seminar series offered through MICHR designed to guide participants in identifying and managing ethics and integrity issues. It offers structured exploration of common research ethics and integrity dilemmas, and regulations. 

Staff Education

The Frankel Cardiovascular Center Clinical Research Group (C3RG) is a group of research professionals formed in June 2009. C3RG provides monthly seminars regarding a wide range of clinical research topics to research staff and coordinators of the entire University. Each session is held on the second Tuesday of each month from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. 

The Conducting and Obtaining Valid Informed Consent workshop outlines the process of obtaining valid informed consent and will give you the opportunity to demonstrate the necessary language and communication skills when interacting with potential study participants and their families. This session is not about writing the informed consent document or specific U-M IRB requirements. Attendees of the workshop should come prepared for active participation.

The Instruction in Monitoring, Protocols, and Advanced Documentation in Clinical Trials (IMPACT) workshop series is designed for study team members who are ready for an intermediate level of training. Participants will learn critical clinical research skills through a group learning environment and hands-on skills practice. Visit the MICHR event page to see upcoming sessions. 

The Clinical Trials Management Systems (CTMS) team provides support and training to the clinical research community. 

Training requirements are based on the roles approved by your Portfolio Manager:

CLICK HERE to request an OnCore account.
CLICK HERE to request an eReg account.

Questions? Please submit a ticket to the CTMS team.

The Research Basics series is designed to present basic, introductory-level material covering concepts in clinical or health research. It is open to all study team members who are new to clinical or health research at U-M or new to any of the topics.

Sessions include:

Sign in to My LINC with a Level 1 password to access the training. 

Resources

ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry and results database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants conducted around the world. 

MiChart Research Resources
A knowledgebase and resource repository for clinical users of Michigan Medicine's electronic health record system, MiChart. The site contains MiChart tip sheets, reference documents, training videos, information regarding updates and upgrades to the system, and much more.

NIH Clinical Trials Resources
The National Institute of Health provides in-depth guidance for investigators and staff of clinical trials, including several protocol templates, NIH definition decision tree and FAQ, enrollment guidance, and more. View the NIH Clinical Research Toolkit & Educational Materials

Research Faculty Development Wizard
The Research Faculty Development Wizard is a resource for all faculty to easily access Michigan Medicine research-related resources based on their career stage and interest.

Research Pharmacy
The U-M Research Pharmacy is a service provided by the Department of Pharmacy Services and supported by Michigan Medicine, to assist investigators in the handling of drugs used in clinical research studies. 

Taubman Library
The Taubman Library offers Research Guides on a wide variety of information focusing on health sciences.

  • Data Management Guide - This site offers tips on managing data and creating a data management/sharing plan.

The Michigan Diabetes Research Center (MDRC)
The MDRC Recruitment Service facilitates the identification of potential subjects with diabetes for clinical studies/trials at the University of Michigan by using the MDRC Diabetes Research Registry, MiChart Recruitment Alerts, and the Blue Cross Network. The MDRC Diabetes Research Registry consists of over 7800 of Michigan Medicine’s ambulatory care clinics’ diabetes patients interested in participating in clinical research. For more information about the Michigan Diabetes Research Center and how to use their services contact [email protected]

U-M Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC)
The mission of UM Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) is to identify improved methods for the prevention and treatment of obesity, supporting a continuum of care from primary, secondary, tertiary prevention.

Contact Us
Clinical Trials Support Office
Medical School Office of Research
M-CTSU: North Campus Research Complex, Building 520
O-CTSU: North Campus Research Complex, Building 300
2800 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
About Us

The Clinical Trials Support Office is a unit of the Medical School Office of Research, where our mission is to foster an environment of innovation and efficiency that serves the Michigan Medicine research community and supports biomedical science from insight to impact.