A variety of individuals have benefited from P.I. Program services, including…

• Researchers who find it challenging to balance scientific and compliance demands in today’s complex regulatory environments
• Researchers who have been investigated for noncompliance or misconduct and wish to move forward constructively
• Researchers with staff who have been investigated for noncompliance or misconduct, and want to learn how to provide strong professional leadership and oversight

At present, the coaching program is only available in English. Clients should have an adequate level of English oral proficiency to participate in phone calls and written proficiency to complete assignments and online assessments.

Feel free to email the Program Manager at integrity@wustl.edu to discuss the suitability of the program for you or for someone you wish to recommend to the program.

Yes. Although the National Institutes of Health funded initial curriculum development, the program is appropriate for all kinds of investigators doing empirical research in funded research environments, including those working in the S.T.E.M., biomedical, and social sciences. However, we do not consider it appropriate for humanities scholars.

The program fosters skills in problem-solving, research team leadership and management, communication, and stress reduction and management. All modules are tailored to the unique needs and situations of each client. The program provides the opportunity to tailor learning and skill development to the needs of individual clients by utilizing individualized assessments, worksheets, personalized and situation-specific problem-solving, the development of a professional development plan, and a series of one-on-one coaching calls. We have also developed a secure website hosting a variety of development resources, which clients may access while enrolled in the program.

Yes. To create a safe environment for sharing, to the fullest extent of law, the program will protect client data. We do the following to protect confidentiality:

• Use Zoom’s HIPAA-compliant platform (or similar Web-based meeting platform)
• Prohibit anyone other than the client and coach from being on the calls, unless with permission in special circumstances
• Prohibit audio or video recording of calls by clients or program coaches
• Require clients and program coaches to sign a confidentiality agreement
• De-identify assessment data to be used for quality improvement efforts
• Send no information to third parties without client permission (as permitted by law)
• Send a detailed certificate of completion to any party at the request of the client. Receiving a certificate of completion means that the client completed all program requirements including: pre- and post-assessments, readings, assignments and worksheets, attendance at all coaching calls, and active participation in coaching calls. Beyond providing a certificate of completion, the program does not share evaluations of clients.

When enrolling in the Professional Skills for Researchers Coaching Program, clients are required to identify an institutional official with whom we may speak and provide contact information. Ordinarily, we will not commence with coaching without first speaking with an institutional official from the client’s place of employment to understand the institution’s perspective on the reason for the referral and the training goals. (Exceptions may be made if the institution declines an interview or if the client is unemployed.) Additionally, the officials may share investigation reports, action plans or other materials.

The program was initially developed by a team of experts in social, clinical, and industrial-organizational psychology, research ethics, medical remediation education, and research oversight. Development of the program has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (administrative supplement award to the Washington University CTSA grant UL1 RR024992). We continue to revise the program based on feedback and data from clients and coaches.

All coaches hold doctoral degrees in psychology or a related field, have served on oversight boards, and conduct federally-funded research. To learn more about our coaches, please see https://integrityprogram.org/people/#instructors.

Please contact the Program Manager at integrity@wustl.edu. Additional registration information may be found at https://integrityprogram.org/coachingprogram/registration/.

The coaching relationship may be terminated if the client fails to complete assignments, “show up” for scheduled calls, participate forthrightly, or engage in appropriate professional development activities. We do not provide refunds once assessments have begun, except for reasons of documented personal illness that would interfere with the long-term completion of the program.

Curricular materials are for the use of clients during and following participation in the program. They are copyrighted and proprietary and are not to be distributed.