Back in 2005, UAMS was one of the first 25 organizations in the world to become accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), and is in the middle of its third reaccreditation process. Part of each accreditation involves a site visit by AAHRPP staff. This year’s site visit is scheduled for May 23 through 25. Among other activities, AAHRPP staff will spend some time interviewing researchers, IRB members and staff, and research administrators.
AAHRPP picks the names of those it wants to interview, and we have already let those people lucky enough to be chosen about their interview times. Some schedules are still being worked out, so we can’t rule out some additions to the list of people being interviewed. We’ve gotten some queries about how people can prepare to be interviewed. The University of Southern California put together some prep materials for its IRB members, staff and researchers for its 2014 site visit that is available on its website. We strongly encourage you to take a look at these materials to get an idea of what to expect in an AAHRPP interview. The University of Michigan also has a prep guide with site visit tips and resources prepared for a site visit just a few weeks ago. While this material, of course, is for different institutions, you may find it helpful in getting an idea of the types of things AAHRPP asks about.
*Even if you haven’t yet been chosen for an AAHRPP interview, some schedules are still in flux so list of interviewees may not be final yet.* Translation: There’s still chance you may be picked. Even if you’re not, these guides may be useful compilation of things deemed important to know about regarding your human research protection program.