Program Overview

Introduction to CITI Training

The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program is a widely utilized web-based training platform that provides a variety of training courses for different aspects of clinical and non-clinical research. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center uses the CITI program for clinical researcher training.

What is Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)?

CITI is an online training platform that provides courses in biomedical and socio-behavioral research. These courses educate researchers about the ethical principles for working with human research subjects and the regulatory requirements for conducting research. Topics include concepts specific to types of research, roles in the protection of human subjects, informed consent, vulnerable populations, and data safety monitoring.

Who Must Complete CITI Training?

Online training courses must be completed by:

• Anyone acting as an employee or agent of the UT Health Science Center, including faculty, staff, students, residents, or fellows, engaged in the conduct of human subject research.
• Employees or agents conducting human subjects research at partner institutions.
• Research faculty advisors.
• Department chairs who approve or acknowledge research.
• Research administrators.
• IRB board members and staff.

Required Courses

Investigators, all key study personnel, and department chairs have two options:

1. Basic Human Subject Protections + Good Clinical Practice (Basic HSP + GCP) combination course, which consists of 22 modules.
2. Human Subjects Training Basic Biomedical (Biomed) course, which consists of 18 modules, and GCP for Clinical Trials with Investigational Drugs and Medical Devices (U.S. FDA Focus) course, which consists of 14 modules.

Completing CITI Training

To complete CITI training, individuals must register on the CITI website and select the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as their organization affiliation. They must then complete the required modules and associated quizzes.

Duration of Training

Each module may take from 10 to 20 minutes to complete, depending on the individual's knowledge and experience. The course software tracks completed modules and saves any module completions.

Certification Validity

CITI certification is valid for 3 years. CITI will send an automated notification 30 days prior to the expiration of training.

Renewing Certification

To renew certification, individuals must log in to the CITI website and complete the refresher course, which is added to their list of courses 90 days before their CITI training expires.

Transferring Certification

If an individual has completed CITI training at another institution, they can affiliate their certification with the UT Health Science Center by logging in to the CITI website and adding the University of Tennessee Health Science Center as an institutional affiliation.

General Information

• Username and password: Retain CITI username and password for all future access.
• Email: Use the email address associated with the NetID.
• Passing score: The minimum passing score is >85% for initial and recertification training.
• Documentation of training: Individuals are responsible for maintaining a record of completion and can access and print their completion report or certificate from the CITI website.