This issue of AAHRPP Advance shines a spotlight on three accredited organizations and their successful approaches to the community engagement elements required by AAHRPP Standard I-4.

When AAHRPP receives questions about how best to meet a specific accreditation standard, we often tap a remarkable resource: our already accredited organizations. That was the case this spring at our AAHRPP Annual Conference, where HRPP professionals from Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), the University of Hawaiʻi, and the University of Utah shared successful approaches to the community engagement Elements required by Standard I.4.

Since not all conference participants attended the Collaborative AAHRPP Network (CAN) workshop and breakout sessions on the topic, this “community engagement” issue of AAHRPP Advance showcases some of that information, along with other best practices.

Collectively, the three organizations demonstrate different yet effective ways to apply and adhere to the accreditation standards and to the Belmont Report principles—respect for persons, beneficence, and justice—on which all AAHRPP standards are based.

MSM is notable for a commitment to community engagement that dates back to the Historically Black College and University’s founding more than four decades ago, long before MSM began pursuing AAHRPP accreditation. The University of Hawaiʻi is seeking to strengthen community engagement as a “Native Hawaiian Place of Learning,” distinguished by its responsiveness to Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian communities, and its reflection of indigenous Hawaiʻi. And the University of Utah is pioneering “Panel C,” an IRB where community and unaffiliated members outnumber those who are scientists. This configuration shifts the traditional voting dynamic, empowering community members as the majority.

The common thread in all three cases is an emphasis on relationships that are nurtured over the long term.

“Effective community engagement requires a lot more than recruiting individuals for a single clinical trial,” says Robert Hood, PhD, Director of Accreditation and Global Outreach at AAHRPP. “It takes time to develop and sustain community relationships.”

In return, however, researchers build trust, create greater understanding of the research process, and have more success recruiting diverse populations—all of which have the potential to enhance both the rigor of the research and the quality of the results.

To learn more about the community engagement efforts of our profiled organizations, go to The Morehouse Model, Engaging as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning, and A Powerful Voice for Disadvantaged Populations.