AU Research Protection Program co-hosting community forum

The Augusta University Human Research Protection Program and AU’s Institutional Review Board will co-host a community forum in partnership with Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, the University of Georgia, Emory University and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections. The two-day community forum will be held Wednesday, Feb. 19, and Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Crowne Plaza North Augusta.

The theme for this year’s forum is “Maintaining Public Trust in the Face of Emerging Trends in Research.”

“Augusta University is excited to be co-hosting the upcoming symposium which will focus on involvement of the community in research and the implications for artificial intelligence on research conduct and analysis,” said Michael Diamond, MD, the Leon Henri Charbonnier Endowed Chair in Reproductive Endocrinology and associate dean for Research for AU’s Medical College of Georgia, as well as AU’s senior vice president for Research. “We will have authorities from throughout Georgia and the entire country coming to the CSRA to share their thoughts and ideas regarding human subject research. This will be a wonderful opportunity for many individuals from the AU community to attend and actively participate in this educational experience.”

At this two-day conference, attendees can expect to hear from a wide range of well-versed speakers on topics including different types of conflicts in research, community engagement and maintaining public trust, and flexibility and innovation to respond to the evolving field of research.

AU faculty and staff presenting during the event include AU President Russell T. Keen; Samantha Jones, PhD; Marlo Vernon, PhD; Christy Ledford, PhD; and Diamond, along with members of the AU IRB staff.

There will also be presentations and workshops led by members of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections, Johnson & Johnson, the Mayo Clinic and WIRB-Copernicus Group, Inc., to name a few.

On the first day, attendees can plan to participate in OHRP-led interactive sessions.

The second day will feature a keynote from Carl Elliott, PhD, professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, titled “Blowing the Whistle on Abuses to Human Subjects.” The day will also feature plenaries and tracks focused on building trust in the community and navigating the ever-changing field of artificial intelligence in human subjects research.