UW–Madison applies for Human Research Protection Program accreditation

The accreditation includes the campus’s four Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). By pursuing accreditation of its HRPP, UW–Madison furthers its goal of applying the highest ethical standards in its protection of human research participants, in addition to ensuring compliance with federal regulations.

The accrediting agency is the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs Inc. (AAHRPP).

The purpose of the HRPP is to ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of individuals recruited to participate in research conducted at UW–Madison; the university strives to adhere to the highest ethical standards in its protection of human research participants, in addition to ensuring compliance with federal regulations.

The major components of the HRPP, coordinated by UW–Madison’s Office of Research Policy, are the campus’s four IRBs and their staff, the HRPP Advisory Committee, an oversight and policymaking body, the UW–Madison Institutional Official and all UW–Madison investigators and research staff involved in human subjects research.

The accreditation process includes two major phases: preparation of a written application addressing each of the AAHRPP accreditation standards and a site visit by a team of professionals assembled by AAHRPP to inspect program operations. The site visit is scheduled for the week of Sept. 24. The university will provide more information about the site visit as it becomes available.

While preparing its written application, the UW–Madison HRPP conducted a lengthy self-assessment of its operations, including the operations of the four IRBs, to assure that they comply with AAHRPP’s accreditation standards.

As a result of the self-assessment, the campus has written and revised policies and procedures, investigator guidance and forms applicable to the conduct of human subjects research by UW–Madison investigators and the review of that research by the Human Research Protection Programs.

Those policies, guidance and forms, which reflect any changes required to comply with accreditation standards, as well as further information about the accreditation process, are now available at the UW–Madison Human Research Protection Program.

E-mail HRPP@bascom.wisc.edu with questions or comments about the accreditation process and the new HRPP and IRB policies and procedures, investigator guidance and forms.