SD Mines Students Attend Research & Compliance Conference Hosted by Regional Health

Students arrived at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center bright and early last Tuesday morning for the 2018 Research and Compliance Conference hosted by Regional Health. These students were there to learn about the policies and procedures involved in working with human subjects while conducting medical research. Each of the students in attendance was either actively involved in research efforts or had plans to be involved in research projects in the coming semesters.

Information tables and posters were set up for attendees to learn about clinical research in South Dakota.

Dr. Pritchard speaks at the conference.

Coffee and/or breakfast treats in hand, our SD Mines group chose a table in front of the podium that was situated between two projector screens prominently displaying the name of the sponsoring organization. We discussed our backgrounds and research interests for a few minutes before the conference was called to order. The guest speakers for the conference had traveled from Washington D.C. to represent the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), which is within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Lau speaks at the conference.

The first speaker, Dr. Ivor Pritchard, spoke about ethics and how ethics inform regulation policies for conducting scientific research. The second speaker, Dr. Yvonne Lau, discussed the requirements, flexibilities, and challenges of informed consent in research involving human subjects. After a short break, the third speaker, Julia Gorey, talked about how vulnerable populations of human subjects are defined, identified, and protected through regulations and special considerations through institutional review boards. Afterward, Dr. Pritchard returned to the podium to discuss the risks, objections, and special considerations involved in social, behavioral, and educational research projects.

During the lunch break, students discussed their take-aways from the morning’s presentations and shared their experiences as pre-health students with one another. After lunch, a discussion panel composed of local individuals who have worked with research policies and regulations, including one person who had participated in a clinical trial himself. The panel discussed their experiences, shared their insights, and answered questions from the audience. After another break, Dr. Lau again took to the podium to involve the audience in a case study aimed at further discussing informed consent. This part of the conference prompted excellent group discussions regarding how to communicate effectively with patients to ensure informed consent during clinical research. The last few minutes of the day-long conference featured a question and answer session during which Dr. Lau and Dr. Pritchard answered questions submitted by attendees. Afterward, attendees were invited to a social event held in the Ice Arena Club overlooking the ice rink in the civic center.

Panel discussion about research involving human subjects. From left to right: Regional Health IRB Chair, Dr. Carman Timmerman; Regional Health Research Participant and member of Purdue University's IRB, Dr. Jeff Bailie; Director of Regional Health Research, Mr. Roger DeRaad; Regional Health IRB Member and panel moderator, Mr. Kevin Queen.

Our SD Mines students who attended were given lots of useful information and were able to learn more about the participant recruitment process of working with human subjects for scientific research. In some of our table discussions, students connected things they were hearing at the conference with things they were already learning in their courses at SDSM&T. They also expressed how interesting they found the details of regulatory processes and considerations that are involved in working with human subjects...especially with potentially vulnerable populations, such as prisoners or children.

"The most useful thing I learned...was the origins of the three main ethical “camps” and what they believe is ethically right. This will help me identify the ways I’m thinking about ethical dilemmas, and process the pros and cons of each." --Jacey Merkle, SD Mines Student

Overall, it was a wonderful conference that was a positive experience for our pre-health students and we hope to send more students to next year's Research and Compliance Conference!

"I would tell students that are planning on attending next year that is was a very educational experience and that I would strongly recommend that they go and get exposed to all of the information and discussions."--Hunter Roy, SD Mines Student

Excited SD Mines students learning about research and compliance.
From left to right: Hunter Roy, Liam Jensen, Samantha Johnson, & Jacey Merkle.