2013 Human Research Protection Award Recipients Announced

Awards for Excellence in Human Research Protection for 2013 were announced today by Dr. Peter G. Goldschmidt, President and Founder of the Health Improvement Institute.

Winner of the Annual Award for Innovation was the Professionalism and Integrity in Research Program for its P.I. Program Workshop. Created by Dr. James M. DuBois and colleagues at Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louiswith funding from the National Institutes of Health, this serves as the first remediation program for researchers who engaged in wrongdoing or persistent noncompliance. The program was developed by a team of clinical, educational, industrial-organizational, and social psychologists, with guidance from experts in research ethics, regulations, and administration.

Winner of the Annual Award for Lifetime Achievement was Will C. van den Hoonaard. Dr. van den Hoonaard has served the research-ethics community in various capacities including the Canadian Interagency Panel on Research Ethics, involvement in research-ethics journals, numerous guest lectures, and author and editor of several books. Dr. van den Hoonaard is Professor Emeritus at the University of New Brunswick, and Research Associate at the Atlantic Centre for Qualitative Research and Analysis, Saint Thomas University. Both universities are located in Fredericton, NB, Canada.

Recipients of an Award of Excellence for Best Practice included:

• Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Office of Research Compliance & Quality Improvement. Cedars-Sinai developed a policy aimed at facilitating enrollment in minimal risk data registries by allowing for an online consent process for internet-based data registries.

• The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP). The non-profit CISCRP launched a groundbreaking program to ensure that the results of clinical trials are shared with the study volunteers who make research possible. CISCRP's Communicating Trial Results program is now being implemented by over 20 leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, helping to fulfill the research enterprise's ethical obligation to share trial findings, and demonstrating a commitment to volunteers as true partners in the research process.

• Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. Children's Mercy started the Pilot Translation Project, involving protecting the rights of research subjects with LEP (Limited English Proficiency) and increasing the opportunity for LEP subjects to participate in available research studies.

Recipients of an Award of Excellence for Lifetime Achievement included:

• Marilyn Viebrock Gearhart. Marilyn's practical experience in managing clinical trials and her scientific knowledge as a certified Medical Technologist has contributed to participant protections for over 40 years. In addition to working in a clinical setting for over 20 years, Marilyn was one of the founding members of Quorum Review IRB in 1992; She remains a member of Quorum's Board of Directors.

• J. Walter Gearhart. Walter was a member of the first ethical review board convened at Western Institutional Review Board in 1981. He also served as WIRB's first IRB Chair, holding that position for 8 years. In 1992, Walter was one of the founding members of Quorum Review IRB; He remains a member of Quorum's Board of Directors.

"The Award program offers positive recognition for excellence in the field of human research protection," said Dr. Goldschmidt. "This year's awards continue the high standard that we have seen since the program began. We congratulate the winners." Awards are given for demonstrated excellence in promoting the well being of people who participate in research. The Health Improvement Institute created this Award program. This year's judges were drawn from academic, compliance, consulting, health services, legal, and research review organizations.