Case Western Reserve University’s Human Research Protection Program (CWRU HRPP) recently received a five-year renewal of its Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) full accreditation status. It was originally accredited in 2016, with a renewal in 2019. The CWRU HRPP is responsible for monitoring the rights and welfare of CWRU research participants while ensuring the university’s commitment to high-quality research. AAHRPP, seen as the gold-standard of HRPP accreditation, serves to ensure “ethically sound and scientifically valuable research through the accreditation of high-quality human research protection programs.” CWRU’s accreditation is critically important to our researchers’ ability to receive federal and non-federal funding, as well as collaborate with other AAHRPP-accredited national and international organizations.
The CWRU HRPP is composed of departments and committees that collaborate with the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Additionally, the IRB Advisory Committee—which is overseen by Joan Schenkel and Kim Volarcik—includes the chairpersons and directors of the CWRU IRB and the IRBs of the university’s affiliated hospitals (Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, and University Hospitals). The Institutional Review Board (IRB) Advisory Committee (IAC) provides centralized oversight of the CWRU HRPP and shares resources and best practices among member institutions to harmonize procedures and enhance the collaboration of researchers at multiple sites.
For additional information, please see the CWRU HRPP Manual and visit AAHRPP’s website.