Last updated: February 27, 2025 – 03:10 p.m.
CITI Program is a global training provider serving universities, research institutions, government agencies, and private sector organizations. In response to recent U.S. Presidential Executive Orders (EOs), and our current interpretation of these EOs, CITI Program has reviewed our content to identify potentially affected modules and webinars.
This page provides an evolving set of FAQs addressing our content in light of these EOs and the steps we are taking to support our subscribing organizations. Updates will be made as new information becomes available. Please bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest information.
FAQs
Is CITI Program a DEI / DEIA training provider?
- No, CITI Program is not a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) or DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) training provider. Our primary focus is delivering high-quality training in research ethics, clinical trials, safety, and regulatory compliance across various disciplines and institution types.
- A limited number of our modules and webinars may touch upon diversity-related topics within the context of historical case studies, ethical research practices, responsible conduct of research, and compliance requirements. However, our training is not explicitly designed as DEI or DEIA training.
Is CITI Program reviewing its content considering these Executive Orders?
- Yes. As with any changes in the U.S. federal government regulatory and compliance landscape, CITI Program routinely reviews our content to ensure we reflect current and accurate information. A review of our 1500+ modules and webinars has identified a limited number that may be affected by the recent EOs.
- Our content reviews and updates are ongoing. As a result, this small list of modules and webinars related to the EOs was updated as of February 17, 2025. We encourage you to bookmark this FAQ page for the latest updates. FAQ #3 below details how to identify potentially affected modules and webinars.
- Please note that many CITI Program modules and webinars are not related to federal regulations or guidance but are designed to support our subscribing institutions’ training goals. For example, while a U.S. federal agency may have recently removed guidance on a topic from its website, the topic may still be a critical component of your institution’s training objectives, and you may want to continue to include content on this topic in your curriculum.
How can I view which modules and webinars in our institution’s setup may be affected by the recent Executive Orders?
- To facilitate your institutional review, we have identified a limited set of modules and webinars that may include content counter to the directives of the recent EOs. A new report is now available that will enable your institution’s CITI Program Administrator to review which, if any, of the limited set of modules and webinars are currently used by your institution. The implications of the EOs will differ among the institutions in our broad subscriber base. As a result, we cannot make specific recommendations on which modules to discontinue using at your institution, and we advise institutions to review their selections based on your training objectives.
- Administrators can access the CITI Program LMS and navigate to Admin > Reports > Modules with Special Notices to review any potentially affected modules and webinars incorporated into their curriculum.
- The limited number of potentially affected modules/webinars will carry the following special notice only visible to CITI Program Account Administrators: “This module/webinar may contain content that is subject to interpretation under recent U.S. Executive Orders. Institutions should review the material in the context of their policies and regulatory obligations. This special notice is only visible to CITI Program Administrators, not all learners as of Feb 28, 2025. Learners may continue to complete modules if they remain in active curriculum.”
- Every organization has unique training requirements, and some may not be using any modules or webinars that may conflict with the EOs. If so, the institution-specific report will not contain any items with this special notice.
- At this time, we are unable to remove these systemwide special notices upon request. However, institutions have the option to remove any module or webinar from their curriculum.
- After allowing institutions sufficient time to review their curriculum, we may reassess and remove these notices from modules and webinars as appropriate.
What actions should my organization take now?
- Subscribing organizations should review their curriculum to determine whether to retain or remove any modules or webinars carrying special notices.
- Due to CITI Program’s modular content structure, organizations have full discretion over which modules and webinars are included in their curriculum. Institutions can modify their selections at any time to align with their training objectives.
What if my organization chooses not to use one or more identified modules or webinars?
- If you wish to remove any modules or webinars from your curriculum or have questions about your organization’s setup, our Support Team is available to assist you. Please contact us at support@citiprogram.org.
- If your organization currently utilizes the CITI Managed feature for automatic webinar provisioning, we may need to disable this feature before removing selected webinars from your setup.
- Turnaround time for curriculum changes: Please be advised that the time required to process curriculum changes may vary based on the volume of requests. While we will make every effort to accommodate deadlines, we cannot guarantee the completion of changes without sufficient notice.
Can I recommend additional content for CITI Program to review in light of the Executive Orders?
- Yes. If you identify specific content that you believe should be reviewed in response to the EOs, please submit your recommendations using CITI Program’s Submit Content Ideas tool.