Research Unplugged

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Join us on Wednesdays from 4–5 pm PT via Zoom or hybrid for engaging sessions to catch up on the latest SD CFAR research and connect with colleagues.

The series is organized into four tracks, and we ask that you register for each track individually. Once registered, all sessions within that track will be added to your calendar through your Zoom confirmation email.

. 2026 SCHEDULE .

The Research Unplugged tracks will run in a new order this year, and some have been combined to make room for additional practice sessions and workshops tailored for our early-stage investigators.

First Wednesday: Career Development (RCR Training is in-person, listed below)
Second Wednesday: Sociobehavior Science / Clinical Investigation / Implementation Science
Third Wednesday: Basic and Translational Science
Fourth Wednesday: Workshops and Practice Sessions
Fifth Wednesday: International and Global Health (Research Unplugged--Caffeinated)
- Research Unplugged—Caffeinated features current and former SD CFAR International Pilot Grant investigators and is scheduled to accommodate time differences. Please save the date(s) for the upcoming RU Caffeinated presentations! Note that each presentation is scheduled for 9:00-10:00 am PT:
  - April 29, 2026--Chijioke Umunnakwe, PhD: Investigating dolutegravir resistance in South Africa using next-gen sequencing
  - July 29, 2026--TBD
  - September 30, 2026--TBD

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training

This series is offered under the Career Development Track of Research Unplugged. RCR courses are open to anyone who needs to complete the required eight hours of RCR training. Topics follow the NIH guidelines outlined in Notice NOT-OD-22-055.

Sessions are held in person from 3–5 pm PT (2 hours each). Locations may vary but will be on the La Jolla campus. Please RSVP to each event individually using the links below. HOURS OF COMPLETION LISTED BELOW.

UPCOMING:

June 3, 2026: Mentoring with Integrity: Building Healthy and Responsible Research Cultures --RSVP HERE
- Speakers: Sara Gianella Weibel, MD and Sinem Beyhan, PhD
- Subject matter (2 hours, face-to-face):
  - f. peer review, including the responsibility for maintaining confidentiality and security in peer review
  - j. responsible authorship and publication
  - c. mentor/mentee responsibilities and relationships
    .
November 4, 2026: Research integrity, misconduct, data management and sharing
- Speaker: TBD
- Panelists: TBD
- Subject matter:
  - h. secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership
  - i. research misconduct and policies for handling misconduct
  - d. safe research environments (e.g., those that promote inclusion and are free of sexual, racial, ethnic, disability and other forms of discriminatory harassment)
    .
March 3, 2027: Collaborative Research, conflict of Interest & commitment
- Speaker: TBD
- Panelists: TBD
- Subject matter:
  - e. collaborative research, including collaborations with industry and investigators and institutions in other countries
  - a. conflict of interest personal, professional, and financial and conflict of commitment, in allocating time, effort, or other research resources
    .
June 2, 2027: Science communication, social responsibility, and research impact
- Speaker: TBD
- Panelists: TBD
- Subject matter:
  - k. the scientist as a responsible member of society, contemporary ethical issues in biomedical research, and the environmental and societal impacts of scientific research

COMPLETED:

March 4, 2026: Research in the age of technology & AI
- Speaker: Kathryn Barker, ScD, MPH
- Panelists: Nadir Weibel, PhD and Camille Nebeker, EdD
- Subject matter:
  - g. data acquisition and analysis; laboratory tools (e.g., tools for analyzing data and creating or working with digital images); recordkeeping practices, including methods such as electronic laboratory notebooks
  - h. secure and ethical data use; data confidentiality, management, sharing, and ownership
November 19, 2025: Human Subjects and Animal Research
- Speakers: Kacey Pratt and Sarah LaMere, DVM, PhD
- Panelists: Sara Gianella, PhD and Nadejda Beliakova-Bethell, PhD
- Subject Matter:
  - b. policies regarding human subjects, live vertebrate animal subjects in research, and safe laboratory practices

HOURS OF COMPLETION

NIH requires 8 hours of Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, including at least 1 hour of face-to-face training. Below are options to fulfill this requirement:

HOURS	COURSE
1	CITI RCR for NIH (ID: 370219)
1	CITI RCR for NSF / USDA-NIFA Faculty and Senior/Key personnel (ID: 370223)
1	CITI RCR for NSF / USDA-NIFA Students and Postdocs (non-faculty, inclusive of staff for USDA-NIFA) (ID: 370224)
1	CITI Biomedical Research- Basic/Refresher (ID: 30151) or Social & Behavioral Research- Basic/Refresher course (ID: 30152)
1.5	Research Compliance Hot Topics and Training Program sessions; fulfills the face to face requirement
2	Research Unplugged RCR Workshops; fulfills face to face requirement