Human Subjects RCR

Human Subjects Responsible Conduct of Research Course

The Spring 2026 Human Subjects RCR course will run for eight weeks between Monday, March 30 and Friday, May 22, 2026. Registration will open on this page on Monday, February 16. For more information, reach out to the course administrator at [email protected].

Open registrationMonday, February 16-Friday, March 13
Onboarding enrolleesMonday, March 16-Friday, March 27
Course datesMonday, March 30-Friday, May 22

Course description

The Human Subjects RCR course is administered by UCSF Bioethics. It is offered twice a year during the Fall (Oct- Nov) and Spring (April–May) quarters. This course is designed for researchers who work with human subjects or data derived from human subjects (e.g. clinical, survey, EHR, or ethnographic data). It addresses requirements and regulations for human subjects research, including IRB approval and consent. 

Time Commitment

Week 1 features an in-person introductory seminar led by the course director. Weeks 2-8 consist of weekly discussion groups meeting over Zoom, facilitated by a moderator. In addition to the weekly small group discussions, the work consists of readings, case studies, and short reflection essays. Participants are expected to devote at least four hours per week to individual work and small group discussion. 

When and where are classes held?

Classes are held once a week. Except for the Week 1 in-person Welcome Seminar, Weeks 2-8 are hosted via Zoom as 1-hour long small group discussions led by a group leader. We typically have between 12-15 group leaders, each with their own meeting window. Options cover a wide range for Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM Pacific Time. Learners will have the option to join a small group during both registration and onboarding.

Requirements for course completion

This is a pass/fail course. Receiving a passing grade in the course requires weekly attendance to a one-hour discussion group, and weekly posting to the class forum website within the Collaborative Learning Environment (CLE). One excused absence is allowed. A make up assignment must be submitted for this absence. If a learner is unavailable to join their regular discussion group due to a scheduling conflict, they may drop in to another discussion group occurring that week. This would not count as an absence. An absence is defined as not attending any discussion groups in the module week. A learner with more than one absence will not pass the course. 

In-person Week 1 Kickoff Seminar

Attendance is not tracked, but is strongly encouraged, for the in-person kickoff seminar in Week 1, as we are understanding of the many contraints that might prevent a learner from being on-site. The course director will give a broad overview of research ethics and outline what you can expect in the course. This event will give you a chance to meet your group leaders and peers in person. The in-person seminar will be recorded and posted to the class forum website for on-demand viewing. 

Week
Dates
Mode
Mandatory
Module Theme
1Week of Monday, March 30

In-person; video recorded session

Location TBD

No, but very strong encouragedIntroducton: Impetus for Ethical Oversight
2Week of April 6ZoomYesAddressing Scientific Racism
3Week of April 13ZoomYesConsent and its Discontents
4Week of April 20ZoomYesEthics of Learning Health Systems
5Week of April 27ZoomYesEmerging AI Ethics: Data Sharing and Governance
6Week of May 4ZoomYesResearch in Low-Resource Settings
7Week of May 11ZoomYesPublication Politics: Authorship (Dis)orders & Knowledge Dissemination
8Week of May 18ZoomYesCultures of Culpability & Responsibility
Am I eligible to take Human Subjects RCR?

This class is open to all UCSF faculty, fellows, and postdoctoral trainees whose research is primarily conducted with human subjects or the data (clinical or otherwise) derived from human subjects. This includes both researchers whose methods are quantitative and whose methods are qualitative. 5th year graduate students who need to take an RCR refresher course are also eligible but should enroll in the RCR course that best fits their research agenda (Basic Science or Human Subjects). If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the course administrator.

Am I required to take Human Subjects RCR?

The NIH, NSF, and other federal funders require all individuals on training or career development awards to take Responsible Conduct of Research at least every four years and at least once per career level. This applies to all levels of training awards (e.g. T32 for postdoctoral scholars or K awards for faculty).

Postdoctoral scholars are strongly advised to take RCR in their first year of training, even if you received training recently as a graduate student. 

Faculty and postdoctoral scholars not funded by NIH or NSF are still strongly encouraged to enroll. If you are not sure if you are required to take RCR, please contact us

I am an established researcher on a career development award. Do I need to take Human Subjects RCR?

Any faculty funded on a training or career development award is subject to the NIH requirement for RCR Training. This includes K and F awards for mid- and late-career researchers. However, NIH recognizes that RCR training may look different for scholars with a more established research agenda. Given that, midcareer and senior scholars at UCSF are invited to serve as small group facilitators for the Human Subjects RCR course, rather than enrolling in the course as learners. If you are interested, please contact the course administrator. 

I took the CITI Human Subjects Protection Training. Do I need to take Human Subjects RCR?

The CITI Human Subjects Protection Training is required by the UCSF IRB for any Key Study Personnel at UCSF or at affiliated institutions to engage in human subjects research. IRB approval of a study is contingent on study personnel having fulfilled this requirement. However, the CITI training does not meet NIH requirements for RCR and does not replace the need for formal RCR instruction for anyone funded on an NIH training or career development award.

Contact Us


Sara Ackerman, PhD, MPH
[email protected]
Associate Professor, UCSF Bioethics 
Associate Professor, Social and Behavioral Sciences
RCR Course Director

Chanel Matney, PhD
[email protected]
Program Manager, UCSF Bioethics
RCR Course Administrator