The following resources cover the core training areas relevant to research at Mount Sinai, from compliance and grant administration to subject-specific requirements.

Financial Conflict of Interest in Research
All investigators and members of the research staff are required to complete Mount Sinai's Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) in Research training offered through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program. This must be completed before submitting the Financial Interest in Research Disclosure Form. Refresher training is required every four years. Training is available through Peak.

InfoEd
InfoEd is the software program the Icahn School of Medicine uses to internally route and manage a subset of ISMMS supported projects and  and all sponsored project applications. InfoEd is also used to submit competitive, single project National Institutes of Health (NIH) and federal sponsored projects electronically to these agencies. These applications are called “System to System Submissions” or “S2S” applications.  InfoEd is the system used to transmit the application directly to the extramural funding agency.

Training on creating a new record, creating a non-competitive continuation, creating a budget, and creating a single project, competitive federal application is all offered in PEAK on demand. Go to PEAK > OnLine Courses > Functional > Research.

Research Security Training
This training is required for covered individuals of sponsored project agencies under the CHIPS & Science Act, and for senior/key personnel of NIH sponsored projects submitting other support. Training is completed through the CITI Program, by navigating to “Auto-enroll”, “SSO sign in”, “Courses Ready to Begin”, and then “Research Security Training (Combined)”.    

Project Administration
Training in sponsored project administration and the research proposal process is available through Peak.

Grants, Finance, and Compliance
Mount Sinai provides researchers with information about training and education opportunities provided by our Grants and Contracts Office (GCO), the National Institutes of Health, professional organizations, and others. Please contact us for more information on GCO classes.  

Subject-Specific Training
Depending on your type of research, additional training may be required. This may include training offered through or required by the Program for the Protection of Human Subjects, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and the Institutional Biosafety Committee.

As an investigator or other member of a research team working with human subjects, you will need to take the comprehensive Basic Foundations course, as administrated by the CITI Program. This must be completed before applying to the IRB. To fulfill this requirement:

1. Log in to CITI Program and associate yourself with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
2. On the main menu page, navigate to "Add a Course or Update Learner Groups" for Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
3. Add the course(s) that you need to complete and submit.
4. Keep a copy of each completion certificate for your own files.

Please note these certificates are valid for three years. After three years, you must return to the CITI Program to complete the Refresher course.

HIPAA and Data Security
As an investigator or other member of a research team working with human subjects, you must complete both the Data Security and HIPAA training and the HIPAA Update modules. Occasionally, the Program for the Protection of Human Subjects announces required updates to the Data Security training, which you must attend.

Blood Borne Pathogens Training
Mount Sinai offers a Biosafety and Blood Borne Pathogen training and exam through Peak<Link to: http://peak.mountsinai.org/>. Additionally, Infection Control has a course in Blood Borne Pathogen for clinical health care workers who have human subject contact.

Good Clinical Practice
This class explores the fundamentals of good clinical practice when engaged in human subject research and is required for investigators and research staff conducting clinical trials. Contact Vivian Mitropoulou to register for the Research Compliance Class or see the Program for the Protection of Human Subjects Education Requirement instructions in the CITI Program training.

 If you are working with animals, hazardous materials, or in a wet lab, you may be required to complete training specific to these areas.

Animal Research
Principal Investigators (PIs) who intend to conduct research utilizing vertebrate animals must complete protocol and receive written approval from the IACUC. Additionally, animal researchers must attend a wet lab and lecture on animal care and use and associated policies. For more information, please reach out to the IACUC.

Researchers who plan to house animals, perform experiments, or require access to the Icahn Mount Sinai animal vivaria must complete a lab animal wet lab, a lecture training, and a facility walk-through with the Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery.

PIs who intend to conduct research involving use and care of laboratory animals, recombinant DNA/synthetic nucleic acids, pathogenic organisms, or other biohazardous materials are required to complete an eSafety research registration.

All laboratory staff — including employees, students, and volunteers — must complete laboratory biosafety trainings through the CITI Program. Those directly handling biohazardous materials in basic research laboratories must also complete the Core Training Requirements and Biomedical Research courses within the CITI Program's Biosafety/Biosecurity Series. Supplemental training modules may be required depending on the scope of laboratory activities.

Basic Science Research and Laboratory Safety
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is committed to excellence in medical research and education and recognizes the potential impacts of these activities on the researchers, animal subjects, and the environment. As such, a unified approach to laboratory safety training is critical to achieving our goal. All investigators and members of the research staff must complete the Core Training Requirements course in the CITI Program. This course consists of the following training modules:

• Biosafety Course Overview
• Risk Management: Work Practices
• Risk Management: Personal Protective Equipment
• Hazard Communication

Our Research Roadmap provides additional guidance on the program.

Additionally, all wet lab researchers should complete the Laboratory Orientation Checklist with their PI. This checklist highlights lab-specific safety information, including the location of safety equipment (eyewashes and safety showers), emergency contact information, and evacuation procedures.

For more information on core safety trainings or laboratory orientation, please contact us. For more information on laboratory biosafety trainings, please reach out to our Biosafety Program.