UAB Synopsis, Vol. 27, No. 4, February 4, 2008
UAB recently received full accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for its programs to protect participants in clinical research. UAB is the only accredited organization in Alabama.
Accreditation demonstrates that extensive safeguards are built into every level of the university’s research operation. Only 97 organizations are accredited by AAHRPP.
Vice President for Research and Economic Development Richard B. Marchase, PhD, says accreditation strengthens UAB’s research program. He lauded Research Compliance Officer Samuel J. Tilden, MD, JD, LLM, and members of a working group from the Office of the Institutional Review Board for Human Use (IRB) that successfully completed an extensive 2-year institutional self-assessment and the rigorous AAHRPP site visit.
Other members of the group were IRB Chair Ferdinand Urthaler, MD, Vice Chair Albert Oberman, MD, Office of the IRB Director Sheila Moore, Regulatory and Compliance Manager Tracey Craddock, and Legal Counsel Terri James-Alexander, JD. In addition, Cardiovascular Disease Director Robert C. Bourge, MD, who chairs the IRB Human Subjects Advisory Committee, was instrumental in developing a mechanism for input and feedback by a group of UAB investigators who conduct research on humans.
Dr. Tilden says achievement of the 3-year accreditation award required meeting performance standards in five areas: organizational commitment, research review unit operation, investigator roles and responsibilities, sponsor expectations, and participant outreach.
“This award ensures that our protection of human subjects will be consistent with other academic institutions in our peer group, that there will be consistency in the process of reviewing protocols, and that research involving human subjects will be conducted in a highly ethical manner,” Dr. Tilden says.“It adds to the ability of the Office of IRB to standardize processes and to assure investigators, sponsors, and participants a fair and efficient platform,” he says.
“This completely independent assessment demonstrates to our research volunteers how important we regard their safety,” Dr. Marchase says.