By SUE WUETCHER
Reporter Editor

The university has begun the process to have its human research program accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP).

UB has submitted an application for accreditation to the AAHRPP, the agency created in 2001 by leading national research organizations, including the Association of American Universities, the Association of American Medical Colleges and the National Organization of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges.

The mission of AAHRPP is not only to ensure compliance with federal regulations, but to raise the bar in human research protection by helping organizations reach performance standards that surpass the threshold of state and federal requirements, according to Jorge V. José, vice president for research.

By establishing a “gold seal” standard of approval, AAHRPP accreditation signifies that organizations are “committed to the most comprehensive protections for research participants and the highest quality research with respect to scientific and ethical standards,” José said.

To date, 37 universities have been accredited. UB is believed to be the first SUNY institution to apply for AAHRPP accreditation, he added.

José noted that the application for accreditation is a result of his commitment “to build a [human research] program marked by excellence and by the highest respect for human subjects, and one that is in line with the goals of UB 2020 to transform the university’s operational and support services.”

UB’s 678-page application addresses how the university proposes to meet each of AAHRPP’s 77 standards across five domains: the human research protection program and its relationship with other university operations, the functioning of the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), the responsibilities of the investigator, provision for human subject protection in sponsored research, and outreach to research volunteers.

The goal, he said, is to have policies and procedures at UB that meet AAHRPP standards and “thus construct the strongest possible system of procedures to best safeguard the personal rights and interests” of the human subjects participating in the more than 1,700 active research studies currently taking place at the university.

The AAHRPP will review and provide feedback on UB’s submission, he said, explaining that the next phase of the accreditation process will involve implementing the approved policies and procedures, as well as educating everyone involved in the UB human research protection program about these policies.

This phase will culminate in a three-to-four-day site visit by AAHRPP representatives in 2009, José said, adding that the AAHRPP’s Council on Accreditation will make the final determination on accreditation based on the site visit team report and UB’s response.

José applauded the work on the application for accreditation by UB’s AAHRPP Accreditation Team, which is headed by Edward M. Zablocki, research subjects protection administrator in the Office of the Vice President for Research. Other team members are Darlene Campanella, senior administrator for the Health Sciences IRB; Deborah Licata, administrator for the Children and Youth IRB; Christian Marks, administrator for the Social and Behavioral Sciences IRB; Cheryl Sanchez, junior administrator for the Health Sciences IRB; Dorothy Wright, quality assurance/quality improvement administrator for human research subjects protection; and Krishna Sarbadhikari, a graduate assistant from the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences.