Winthrop Earns Research Accreditation

Winthrop-University Hospital is pleased to announce that it has received full accreditation of its extensive biomedical research program by the prestigious Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). Winthrop is now among only 159 organizations worldwide to have earned the accreditation since the AAHRPP was established in 2001. Accreditation is available to U.S. and international organizations that conduct biomedical, behavioral or social sciences research involving human participants.

"The protection of our research volunteers is of paramount importance to Winthrop's physician scientists," said John F. Aloia, MD, the Hospital's Chief Academic Officer. "AAHRPP accreditation is our assurance to them that multiple systems are in place to safeguard them throughout the research process."

As part of its mission as an academic medical center, Winthrop has a vigorous biomedical research program that includes both basic research (laboratory studies) and clinical research (studies that involve human subjects, such as clinical trials). AAHRPP accreditation applies to the clinical components of the research enterprise.

"The 159 accredited organizations have demonstrated that they can achieve AAHRPP's high standards," said AAHRPP President and CEO Marjorie A. Speers, Ph.D. "That distinguishes them from their non-accredited peers and increases their appeal to sponsors, research partners and research participants."

Through the rigorous AAHRPP accreditation process, organizations must demonstrate that they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation and that they adhere to the highest standards for research. AAHRPP's standards exceed federal regulations by requiring organizations to address conflict of interest, to provide community outreach and education and to apply the same stringent protections to all research involving human participants. The accreditation process was coordinated at Winthrop by Tina Berry, CIP, Director of Winthrop's Institutional Review Board, and Alex Schoen, MBA, Director of Winthrop's Office of Sponsored Programs.

As a teaching hospital, scholarship and research go hand-in-hand at Winthrop. Extensive research is conducted through Winthrop's Clinical Trials Center, where physician researchers carry out investigational studies of new drugs and protocols on a broad range of topics, and in research laboratories where scientists study the molecular biology of disease. Researchers in the Office of Health Outcomes investigate healthcare and its outcomes at the level of the patient, the clinician, the practice setting, the institution, the community, and society as a whole.

Research at Winthrop is focused on three major themes that comprise the most urgent healthcare challenges of today: diabetes and cardiometabolic syndrome; infant prematurity and perinatal conditions; and chronic disease and aging. At Winthrop, physician scientists work closely with PhD research investigators to translate scientific discoveries derived in bench research to clinical solutions applied at the bedside.

"This is what distinguishes a teaching hospital from a community hospital," said Daniel P. Walsh, president and CEO of Winthrop, "the intellectual energy and spirit of inquiry which challenges all of us on a daily basis to advance research and strive for clinical excellence."  Winthrop-University Hospital is a 591-bed university-affiliated medical center with a deep commitment to medical education and research, offering a full complement of inpatient and outpatient services. Winthrop's mission is shaped by the basic value of "Care without compromise," and a deep and abiding commitment to the integrity, comfort and well-being of every individual.