What is CITI?
As members of the SHAWN Team, one of the first tasks required of us is to complete the CITI Online Training Course. SCSU requires all their student researchers to pass CITI, which consists of 14 online learning modules. After finishing each module, the student must score 80% or higher on the corresponding quiz to move on to the next module. CITI offers several different courses to fulfill various organizations’ needs. SHAWN team members must pass the Social and Behavioral Research course, which covers topics such as informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. CITI is an important part of the training process, as it teaches us how to remain ethical and professional in our research. We also learn about the history behind significant laws and regulations in the field by studying examples of controversial research experiments from the past. After completing CITI, students are better equipped for collecting data and conducting interviews in a fair, unbiased manner.
CITI Training is relevant to our work here at SHAWN in many ways. We are studying vulnerable populations that are historically more at-risk of exploitation by researchers. Through CITI, we learn that a population’s vulnerability can be determined by factors like social hierarchy or economic disadvantage. CITI also emphasizes the importance of anticipating any potential conflicts of interest present in a study. Module 2 highlights several ways in which any organization, including SHAWN, can implement practices to eliminate conflicts of interest (COIs) including setting up a management plan or employing third-party perspectives through an independent data reviewer. It’s important we do our job in a way that respects peoples’ rights, especially because we are passionate about harm reduction. The concept of harm reduction essentially means meeting people where they are in an effort to make things easier and more accessible. We practice harm reduction within our team activities and meetings as well.
CITI is an valuable resource in preparing SHAWN members to participate in the humane research of vulnerable subjects. Information learned in the CITI program makes our work more impactful and will prove useful in future projects or jobs in the social work field. I found it gave me insight into unique perspectives I hadn’t previously considered, which reinforced the significance of our mission. Overall, CITI helped me become a more well-rounded, informed member of the SHAWN team.