The University of Nevada, Reno’s Research Integrity is hosting the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) Research Community Forum – Trust, Technology and Consent, Oct. 25-26, 2022. The two-day conference promotes the protection of human subjects in research and is jointly presented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ OHRP, University of Nevada, Reno, University of Nevada, Las Vegas and University of California, Davis.

OHRP sponsors Research Community Forum events two to three times each year to provide information to Institutional Review Board (IRB) members, IRB administrators, clinical investigators, research support staff, research sponsors, contract research organizations, government regulators and members of the clinical research community about current issues regarding the protection of human subjects. The conference in Reno will focus on new technologies used in research and the way researchers communicate with their subjects.

“This conference will meet the unique educational needs of human subjects research oversight professionals, and add a forum to discuss the important common themes that span all of the research enterprise,” says Nancy Moody, director of Research Integrity. “Time is also reserved for networking sessions and collaboration across the field and among the various institutional stakeholders in attendance. We will dive deep into the latest emerging research technologies requiring coordination and communication as well as new approaches to oversight.”

The first day of the forum is a workshop led by OHRP that combines educational information and engaging small group discussions. These instructional interactions help participants understand how to interpret and apply the U.S. federal regulations and policies on human research protections. The second day centers on the ethical aspects of conducting human subjects research by addressing the emerging technologies in the consenting process (mobile platforms and remote consent), issues of subject privacy, considerations for vulnerable populations and the role of trust. Both days of the forum meet Certified IRB Professional (CIP) recertification guidelines and are eligible for educational credits known as accreditations or CIP credits.

Research Integrity, part of Research & Innovation, recently earned full accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP) for its human research protection program. Receiving accreditation helps to build trust and confidence in research by assuring research participants, researchers, sponsors, government regulators and the public that an organization’s human research protection program is exceptional.

The two-day Research Community Forum will be held at the Silver Legacy at the Row, a resort and casino in downtown Reno. More information and conference registration are available online and registration closes on Oct. 24 at 5 p.m.