Association for the Accreditation
of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. ®

Introducing Our First CAN Working Groups

AAHRPP is tapping the expertise of our accredited organizations and relaunching our Collaborative AAHRPP Network (CAN) to address priorities identified in our recent survey of accredited human research protection programs (HRPPs).

The 2021 survey included an invitation to serve with AAHRPP staff on working groups that will tackle a variety of issues under the auspices of our CAN initiative. More than 100 respondents volunteered.

Modeled after the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) IRB Directors Group, the CAN was created in May 2019 to foster collaboration among accredited organizations and provide a forum to problem-solve issues that affect IRBs. The first CAN meeting was well-attended, but momentum was stalled by the pandemic. The survey and follow-up working groups provide the ideal opportunity to resurrect the initiative.

Per the survey results, the first three issues that will be tackled are:

  • Reaccreditation process
  • Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in AAHRPP’s standards
  • Single IRB review

Members of each working group will represent a range of organization types and sizes. The first group, on the reaccreditation process, held its initial meeting in February. Co-chairs are Candice Yekel, Associate Vice President for Research at Penn State University, and Robert Hood, PhD, AAHRPP Director of Accreditation and Global Outreach. 

At least one more working group will be convened later this year; others will follow.