AAHRPP Accredits First Organization in Latin America, Continues Inroads across the Globe

The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs Inc

. (AAHRPP) today announced that it has awarded accreditation to five more organizations, including the first institution in Latin America.

The latest accreditations are yet another example of AAHRPP’s continued expansion and influence in the United States and emerging markets. The newly accredited organizations are:

• Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia by and on behalf of Georgia State University, Atlanta, Ga.
• Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico
• Regional Health, Rapid City, S.D.
• Wellspan Health, York, Pa.

Latin American countries are playing an increased role in clinical research. Mexico, in particular, is emerging as a leading clinical research location because of its proximity to the United States. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán is one of 12 National Institutes of Health in Mexico and is the among the country’s largest centers for medical training and research.

According to AAHRPP President and CEO Marjorie Speers, Ph.D., AAHRPP’s continued outreach worldwide reflects a longstanding commitment to protect participants and advance quality research both within and beyond the U.S.

“From the beginning, we recognized the global nature of the research enterprise,” Speers said. “We knew that accrediting U.S. institutions was critical and that it would be the first step toward a more ambitious goal of achieving one standard worldwide—for research quality and protections.”

To earn AAHRPP accreditation, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubiránhad to demonstrate compliance with both Mexico’s requirements for research protections and U.S. regulations.
The four new U.S. accreditations reflect widespread acknowledgement that AAHRPP accreditation is the mark of a high-quality research protection program.

“Organizations of every size and sector of the research enterprise see the value of AAHRPP accreditation—the emphasis on quality and protections and the resulting respect of sponsors and peers,” Speers says.

AAHRPP accreditation is available to U.S. and international organizations that conduct biomedical, behavioral or social sciences research involving human participants. To date, AAHRPP has accredited organizations in 46 states, Canada, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan.