Profession
Accreditors approve human research protection program at Florida agency
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 21, 2008
The Florida Dept. of Health last month received accreditation of its human research protection program, which encompasses the institutional review board and all members of the department's research community. Accreditation means that the department has met or exceeded national best-practice standards for assuring the ethical conduct of research and protection of participants in biomedical and behavioral research.
The Assn. for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs awarded the accreditation based on a peer-review process. It is valid for three years.
To prepare for accreditation, the Florida agency revised its policies and procedures to align them with national best practices. The department also set a standard that all epidemiologists in its central office programs would be trained in research ethics, as part of its commitment to protect participants in both research activities and public health practice.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/04/21/prbf0421.htm.