Copernicus Group IRB Announces Two Distinguished Staff Members Selected to Speak at DIA

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, May 26, 2011 (Press-News.org) - Two key employees of Copernicus Group IRB (CGIRB) have been selected to present at the Drug Information Association (DIA) 47th Annual Meeting on June 19-23 in Chicago, IL.

Tita Simmons' presentation, entitled, "Quality Assurance and the Protection of Human Research Subjects: The Sponsor, CRO and IRB Partnership," will discuss how partnerships between the three groups enhance the protection of the safety, rights and welfare of human subjects. Simmons will illustrate her talk with case studies demonstrating how effective communication between all parties can make a difference. Simmons' presentation will be on Tuesday 6/21 from 10-11:30am.

CGIRB's second presenter, Sydney Douglas, will speak on "Training within an IRB - The Importance of Quality Training Programs for IRB Board Members and IRB Staff." Douglas' presentation will focus on the often overlooked area of training, and how a company's commitment to a formalized training program can increase quality and efficiency. Recognizing the need for integrated training to better support IRB functions, Douglas will discuss corporate training programs and their direct benefits when implemented. Douglas' presentation will be on Thursday 6/23 from 9-10:30am.

"We are happy to be providing these educational presentations to the research community," said Bruce Tomason, CEO of CGIRB. "Tita and Sydney are experts in their respective fields. Both of their presentations will demonstrate innovative ways we can work together as an industry to enhance the protection of human research subjects."

For more information about DIA, please visit diahome.org

About CGIRB
Experience and innovation in ethical review
Copernicus Group IRB, established in July 1996, is a leading independent institutional review board ("IRB") dedicated to ensuring the rights and welfare of research study participants. CGIRB provides ethical review of research protocols, investigators, and subject information and consent forms to ensure compliance with federal regulations set forth in 21 CFR, 45 CFR and ICH/GCP Guidelines. CGIRB achieved full AAHRPP accreditation in 2004 and ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2010. For more information please visit cgirb.com

Tita Simmons is Manager, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance at CGIRB with over 15 years of industry experience. Her current focus is the protection of the safety, rights and welfare of human research subjects, regulatory compliance and continuous process improvement. She is a member of the Society of Quality Assurance's RQAP-GCP Exam Committee and a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Simmons recently presented at the 27th Society of Quality Assurance (SQA) Annual Meeting.

Sydney Douglas is Corporate Trainer for CGIRB. Ms. Douglas currently provides instructional design and resource and development for Board members and support staff. In addition to managing internal training events, Ms. Douglas also coordinates training for new CGIRB Connexus users.

Corporate Contact: Rebecca Sipes, CGIRB
Media Contact: Gwen Hoover, Altitude Marketing