NEW YORK, March 23, 2017 — The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) accredited SUNY College of Optometry’s human subject research program on Wednesday, March 22.
AAHRPP provides accreditation for organizations that conduct or review human research, demonstrate that they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation, and adhere to high standards for research. The National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest public funder of research, has earned accreditation, as has Pfizer, Inc., the largest industry sponsor of clinical research.
“The standards set by AAHRPP form the benchmarks that human subject research programs across the world strive for,” says Dr. Stewart Bloomfield, associate dean for graduate studies and research and director of the Graduate Center for Vision Research. “This achievement indicates that faculty and staff at the College offer the highest standard of care and protection for the people who serve as subjects in our clinical research program.”
To date, 238 organizations have earned AAHRPP accreditation, including hospitals, academic institutions, and integrated health care systems in 47 states, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, and Thailand. The College is the fourth campus in the State University of New York system to earn this distinction; the University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, and Stony Brook University are also accredited by AAHRPP.
“Organizations that commit to AAHRPP accreditation are also committing to conduct top-tier ethical research, so we, in turn, can have confidence in the results and the advances they make possible,” says AAHRPP president and CEO Elyse I. Summers.
All major U.S. independent institutional review boards have earned AAHRPP accreditation. More than 60 percent of U.S. research-intensive universities and 65 percent of U.S. medical schools are either AAHRPP accredited or have begun the accreditation process. To learn more, visit www.aahrpp.org.
Media Contact: Amber E. Hopkins-Jenkins, 212.938.5607, aehopkinsjenkins@sunyopt.edu