The structure of the conference generally consists of three to four keynote and plenary addresses, 14 to 16 panels, and more than 120 breakout sessions organized into 25 to 30 topical tracks.
Past speakers have included Jay Katz, Francis S. Collins,[2] Rebecca Skloot,[3] Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo, Jerome Groopman, Jonathan Haidt,[4] Robert Temple, Frances Kelsey, Dan Ariely,[5] Seth Mnookin,[6] Eva Mozes Kor,[7] Louis Lasagna, Keith Norris,[8] Susan Reverby,[9] Joshua Sharfstein,[10] Jonathan Woodson,[11] and Ellen Wright Clayton.
Past speakers have included Temple Grandin,[13] Bernard Rollin,[14] Evan Snyder, Colin Blakemore, Henry Spira, Tom Beauchamp, Stuart Zola,[15] Margaret Landi,[16] and Georgia Mason.
[18] PRIM&R's pre-conference programs, usually one day in length, precede the AER and IACUC conferences, and provide attendees with the opportunity to engage in intensive examination of key areas in the field of research oversight.
Past locations for regional meetings have included Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tucson, Durban, South Africa, Malawi, and Singapore.
AYD events have been hosted by Harvard Medical School, the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins University.
The curriculum of this course is intended to provide IRB members with an understanding of the ethical and regulatory issues that underlie research with human subjects with the use of case studies.
[26] PRIM&R offers its members networking opportunities designed to encourage the exchange of knowledge among research ethics professionals, including a Regional Connections[27] program, which offers small grants to members to plan and host events intended to facilitate collaboration, a Mentoring Program[28] for professionals within the field of research ethics, and an electronic membership directory[29] to facilitate connecting and networking with colleagues.
The PRIM&R website includes an online Knowledge Center that provides current and historical information and resources to the research community.
[36] In their response, PRIM&R advocated that any attempts to reduce administrative workload should remain directed at protecting research subjects.
[43] This award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary and exemplary contributions to advancing research ethics, and, more specifically, those who have mastered a large body of information, have applied sound analytical methods to the resolution of particular problems and sound critical methods to the resolutions proposed by themselves or others, have synthesized their findings and those of others into new comprehensive accounts, and have effectively communicated the fruits of their efforts to others.
The award was intended to recognize the leadership, dedication, principles, and wisdom of four individuals who played critical roles in the founding of both PRIM&R and its former membership division, ARENA.
The Special Service Award was given periodically from 2000 to 2005, and was intended "to recognize exemplary individuals who have made a valuable contribution to the goals of our organization and whose achievements promote the ethical conduct of research."
PRIM&R employs approximately 20 individuals who coordinate and execute organizational functions ranging from conference planning and the development of new educational programs, to membership outreach and recruitment, to drafting public policy comments.