CGIRB Yvonne Higgins speaks at Second APREC Conference

March 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Durham, N.C. - Copernicus Group IRB (CGIRB) Quality Management Director Yvonne Higgins spoke at the Asia Pacific Research Ethics Conference, held March 7-9 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel in Singapore.

Ms. Higgins’ presentation, “Building a Quality Institutional Review Board/Ethics Review Committee,” included discussions of the attributes of a quality IRB, review tools and strategies, and case studies on the use of quality management principles in an IRB context.

APREC is a premier Asia Pacific platform focusing on human subject protection, committed to bringing together the region’s institutional review boards, ethics committees, research and academic institutions and health authorities, as well as representatives from the pharmaceutical industry. Speakers hailed from regions around the world, including the U.S., Japan, Australia and Malaysia.   Conference faculty from the U.S. included Ezekiel Emanuel, Nick Slack, and Elisa Hurley.

“The globalization of the development and delivery of health care solutions provides a unique opportunity for us to share innovative approaches on enhancing research ethics, ensuring respect for study subjects, and protecting subject safety.” Higgins said. “This conference brought together key stakeholders in the clinical trials process, including sponsors, government officials, researchers, IRBs, and clinical research organizations. Many of those people may not normally attend the same conference, but everyone was engaged and energetic about looking for best practices in the field of human research subject protection.”

About Copernicus Group IRB
Experience and innovation in ethical review®
Copernicus Group IRB, established in July 1996, is a leading U.S. independent institutional review board (“IRB”) dedicated to ensuring the rights and welfare of research study participants. The IRB provides ethical review of research protocols, investigators, and subject information and consent forms to ensure compliance with federal regulations set forth in 21 CFR, 45 CFR and ICH/GCP Guidelines. CGIRB achieved full AAHRPP accreditation in 2004, reaccreditation in 2007 and 2011, and ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2010.  To learn more, visit cgirb.com.

Corporate Contact: Rebecca Sipes, CGIRB rsipes@cgirb.com
Media Contact: Gwen Hoover, Altitude Marketing gwen@altitudemarketing.com

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