Development of a global certification program for biorepository technical professionals.

Abstract

Currently, technical staff for biorepositories come to their work with a variety of educational and professional experiences. Some begin having completed a baccalaureate program with laboratory experience while others have acquired their knowledge of biorepository operations through years of experience working in a biobank without having initiated formal coursework at a university. Inconsistent recognition of the value of the contributions made by biobank technical staff has in many cases led to lower salaries and higher turnover, making it challenging for specimen repositories to consistently operate efficiently and to guarantee that only the highest quality specimens are available for research. In recent years, several excellent educational courses have been developed to address the need for substantive training in a number of areas relating to effective biorepository operations, such as specimen tracking, shipping, quality assurance, and others. In addition to these courses, ISBER offers a variety of courses and workshops as a part of its annual meeting. In spite of the value of these courses, access to them is not always possible for repository technicians due to limited funding and other circumstances that may make participation difficult. In order to begin to address this issue, ISBER has created a new, reduced registration category for repository technicians who desire to attend the 2012 Annual Meeting. In addition to these important educational initiatives, ISBER recognizes that a need exists for broadly available, consistent education and training opportunities for repository technicians. The training will ensure that those who desire it can have access to a body of knowledge that will support their understanding of successful strategies for supporting the collection, processing, storage, and dissemination of high quality biospecimens for research. To this aim, ISBER is partnering with the Board of Certification of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) to explore the feasibility of developing what is being called a Certification Program for Repository Technicians. Successful participants in the program will be certified for their acquisition of knowledge essential to repository operations.