THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANNOUNCES ACCREDITATION OF HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION PROGRAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Susan Smith
March 20, 2008 (850) 245-4111

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANNOUNCES ACCREDITATION OF HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION PROGRAM

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Health (DOH) today announced that the agency has become the first public health department to receive full accreditation of its human research protection program, which encompasses the Institutional Review Board and all members of the DOH research community. Accreditation means that the Department has met or exceeded national best-practice standards for ensuring ethical conduct of research and the protection of participants in biomedical and behavioral research.

“Accreditation improves the infrastructure for research in Florida and makes Florida more competitive for funding agencies,” State Surgeon General Ana M. Viamonte Ros, M.D., M.P.H. said. “I encourage all research institutions in Florida to join the Department by pursuing best-practices and ensuring ethical conduct of research and protecting participants in research.”

The Department conducts research to improve public health and services to clients. Accreditation is awarded based on a peer-review process by a private organization, the Association for Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), and is valid for three years. “Accreditation results in greater emphasis on quality, stronger protections for research participants and increased public trust in research and its findings,” said AAHRPP President and CEO Marjorie A. Speers. “As more organizations commit to accreditation’s high standards, these benefits are being realized in hospitals, universities, institutional review boards and other research facilities nationwide.”

Dr. Susan Phillips, Director of the Office of Public Health Research, charged the Institutional Review Board with achieving accreditation: “Accreditation demonstrates to the people of Florida that DOH takes responsibility for research and operates according to national best-practice standards.”

In preparing for accreditation, DOH implemented the first electronic system to manage applications in Florida, revised policies and procedures in alignment with national best practices, and has embarked on training researchers and study personnel at the Department and in partner organizations. Additionally, the Department set a standard that all epidemiologists in central office programs will also complete training in research ethics, as part of its commitment to protect participants in research and public health practice. The Department successfully completed a site visit that included an intensive program review, including interviews with researchers, staff and leadership.

“Accreditation has been a team effort and has involved the work of many people across the Department” said Robert Hood, Ph.D., an ethicist at DOH who leads the effort.

DOH promotes, protects and improves the health of all people in Florida. For more information about DOH programs, visit www.doh.state.fl.us.