Research institutions receiving U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) funding must assure the Office of Research Integrity (ORI/OPHS/DHHS) that policies and procedures are in place conforming to 42 CFR 93 to investigate allegations of Misconduct in Research, defined as fabrication or falsification of research data, or plagiarism. An institutional official known as the Research Integrity Officer (RIO) generally administers these policies and procedures. The role of the RIO is complex, exacting, and unique. There is no closely analogous position in the academy of higher education. Some university attorneys refer to the RIO's role as "quasi-judicial," but, in fact, the RIO functions variously as prosecutor, judge, mediator, counselor, teacher, and regulatory manager. Institutions rarely train their RIOs, and no professional society has provided training or support for RIOs. Serious errors by RIOs in handling allegations of research misconduct have landed in the press and in the courts and, in the worst cases, have cost their institutions millions of dollars, public embarrassment, and internal upheaval. The RIO Boot Camp project aims to train RIOs and to professionalize their roles. The RIO Boot Camps were developed in collaboration with the ORI Division of Investigative Oversight (DIO). This paper outlines the unique aspects of the curriculum and the pedagogical techniques used. Results of a survey of RIO Boot Camp participants provide a portrait of the roles and responsibilities of RIOs and the challenges they face. The paper concludes by discussing the planned final products of the RIO Boot Camp initiative and future efforts to support the RIOs. (Contains 5 tables.)