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

Education, News & Events: News Releases

AAHRPP Accredits ACTIVATO, Third Organization in Japan

Sep 26, 2025

Nineteen more organizations attain reaccreditation

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 24, 2025―The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs has awarded full accreditation to ACTIVATO of Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. The nonprofit independent institutional review board is the third research organization in Japan to commit to AAHRPP’s standards for research ethics and protections.

ACTIVATO serves as the research ethics review board for seven university hospitals in the Tohoku region: Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Akita University School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University Hospital, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Tohoku University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Tohoku University Hospital. The IRB reviews clinical trials within and outside Japan.

“In today’s global research enterprise, AAHRPP accreditation is more important and more impactful than ever,” AAHRPP President and CEO Elyse Summers said. “With 600+ accredited entities around the world, AAHRPP’s standards play a key role in safeguarding research participants and advancing high-quality, ethical research.”

AAHRPP also approved reaccreditation of the following:

OrganizationAccredited since
WCG IRB, NC2003
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MA2004
Fox Chase Cancer Center, PA2004
University of Minnesota, MN2004
Washington University in St. Louis, MO2004
Marshall University, WV2007
University of Cincinnati, OH2007
University of Oklahoma, Board of Regents, OK2007
University of Southern California, CA2007
Celerion, Inc., NE2012
59th Medical Wing, TX2017
Hackensack Meridian Health, NJ2017
Sanford, ND2017
Van Andel Research Institute, MI2017
 Adventist Health Glendale, CA2022
Phoenix Children's Hospital, Inc., AZ2022
Specified Nonprofit Organization Review Board of Human Rights and Ethics for Clinical Studies (HURECS), Japan2022
The University of Tennessee, TN2022
University of Southern Maine, ME2022

 

To earn accreditation and reaccreditation, organizations must demonstrate that they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation, adhere to high standards for research, and are committed to continuous improvement. In today’s increasingly collaborative research environment, accreditation status can provide added assurance and a competitive edge.

AAHRPP has accredited research entities across the U.S. and in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates.

To learn more, visit www.aahrpp.org.