A message from the Vice Chancellor for Research:
I am pleased to announce that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Human Research Protection Program has been awarded full reaccreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for an additional five years. We were reaccredited in June 2023, following a two-day on-site evaluation in March 2023. The site visit was performed by independent experts who conducted record reviews and interviewed over seventy-five researchers, university administrators, IRB members, and staff involved in supporting the UNC-CH HRPP.
AAHRPP uses a voluntary, peer-driven, educational model to ensure that HRPPs meet rigorous standards for quality and protection that go beyond the regulations. To earn accreditation, organizations must demonstrate through policies, procedures, and practices their commitment to ethical research and to continuous quality improvement. AAHRPP-accredited organizations collaborate and share resources, innovative practices, and collect data to help establish benchmarks, improve quality, and increase effectiveness and efficiency.
This important achievement reflects Carolina’s commitment to protecting the rights and welfare of research participants. Becoming accredited is a remarkable achievement and a true testament to what we can accomplish together. It is representative of the different areas that collectively help make our HRPP successful.
The council recognized the University’s HRPP areas of strengths, specifically the extensive education program for HRPP staff, IRB members, and researchers. An additional area of strength that was noted was the OHRE Safety Welfare and Analysis Group (SWAG) for their work in evaluating and triaging all Promptly Reportable Information forms submitted by researchers.
We are delighted that AAHRPP recognizes our commitment to research excellence and the dedication to the protection of human research participants by the research community by accrediting our Human Research Protections Program continuously since 2009.
For questions about the accreditation, contact Carley Emerson, Director of the Office of Human Research Ethics (OHRE), at carley_emerson@unc.edu.
Penny Gordon-Larsen
Vice Chancellor for Research