A Case for Accreditation: Morehouse School of Medicine Leads Among Historically Black Colleges and Universities
As a smaller institution with limited resources, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) knew its path to AAHRPP accreditation would require a considerable team effort. But MSM also was acutely aware of the value of accreditation—its positive impact on the quality and reputation of an organization’s HRPP and the opportunities to collaborate with other trusted AAHRPP-accredited entities.
In the 10 years since MSM became the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to earn AAHRPP accreditation, the Atlanta-based medical school has emerged as an essential research partner for organizations including the American Cancer Society, City of Hope, CommonSpirit Health, and Grady Health System. Although it is not the only factor, MSM research officials say accreditation has played a key role in other organizations’ willingness to sign IRB reliance agreements and partner with MSM in other ways.
“Our accreditation status has helped us establish more trust and respect, especially with neighboring institutions,” says Brenda Klement, PhD, IRB Assistant Director and Biomedical Chair at MSM. “Organizations are more likely to engage in collaborations or cede IRB reviews to us.”
MSM IRB Director John C. Smith, MSW, CIM, CIP, cites the increased visibility and pride that have come with accreditation. “People are recognizing Morehouse School of Medicine more,” he says. “They appreciate the work involved in earning accreditation. When they see the AAHRPP seal on our emails and other communications, they know it’s a badge of honor.”
MSM has been an AAHRPP advocate and supporter since long before the HBCU attained accreditation. In 2005, just three years after AAHRPP launched its accreditation program, founding Executive Director Marjorie A. Speers, PhD, invited MSM’s Sandra Harris-Hooker, PhD, to serve on the AAHRPP Board of Directors. Not long afterward, MSM joined a core group of organizations that committed to AAHRPP accreditation and paid the related fees in advance.
“We were a relatively young, smaller organization, building an infrastructure with an emphasis on excellence,” says Sandra, now Senior Vice President for External Affairs and Innovation at MSM. “With human subjects research, whether you’re talking about 500 or 5,000 specimens, you still must have the same rigor, so our mindset was always that we would earn accreditation.”
A roadmap for smaller organizations
Unlike larger research institutions, MSM was not in a position to hire consultants or add full-time staff to help pursue accreditation. Instead, MSM opted for a different route—one that could be a model for other organizations of similar size and resources. Key elements include:
- Institutional buy-in, which Sandra cites as the “top priority. When we began our accreditation journey, it was still a heavy lift. But it would have been much heavier without the trust and support of leadership at all levels of the organization.”
- Early engagement to instill a sense of ownership. MSM gave individuals across the HRPP a seat at the table, inviting them to join a task force to help shape the accreditation effort and contribute to its success.
- A foundation of respect for the HRPP. John advises organizations to consider how others view the role of their IRB and HRPP before undertaking accreditation. “If the IRB/HRPP has autonomy and the support and respect of the institution, I would give them the green light to move forward,” he says. If IRB and HRPP review are considered “a hurdle to overcome,” John suggests there’s work to be done to build institutional support for accreditation.
- An emphasis on the shared responsibility for protecting research participants. At MSM, that responsibility includes understanding the role of administrators, researchers, faculty, staff, and others in earning and maintaining accreditation. “It’s important, especially for initial accreditation, to be able to carve out smaller pieces for others to take on to help with the process,” Brenda says. “For reaccreditations, it’s easier because the value of accreditation has been established.”
An example for other HBCUs
MSM will always take pride in making history as the first HBCU to earn accreditation. There’s one distinction, however, that MSM would like to shed—its status as the only AAHRPP-accredited HBCU.
“Earning AAHRPP accreditation was a tremendous milestone for MSM,” John says. “What we’d like to see, now, is for some of our sister organizations to become accredited as well.”
John acknowledges that other HBCUs “will face the same challenges we did, and they might need some help along the way.” But they will have one advantage over the MSM of a decade ago: the example of an HBCU that has earned AAHRPP accreditation and benefited as a result.