Elyse I. Summers Named New AAHRPP CEO

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Elyse I. Summers, J.D., director, Division of Education and Development, at the federal Office for Human Research Protections has been named president and CEO of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, effective October 14, 2013.

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The AAHRPP Board of Directors announced the appointment today, citing Summers' more than 14 years of helping organizations understand and comply with federal regulations on human research protections.

Summers has extensive experience in developing and evaluating policies and procedures for human research protection programs, delivering training, overseeing compliance and assessing quality. She has served as an expert liaison to national and international human research committees, commissions and professional organizations, and has presented at national conferences on human research protections.

Summers also has close working relationships with key AAHRPP stakeholders, including institutional officials, institutional review board members, Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research, the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of American Universities. She was selected for the AAHRPP post following a nationwide search that began in March.

"In a field of highly qualified candidates, Elyse Summers quickly emerged as a top contender," AAHRPP Board Chair James A. Weyhenmeyer, Ph.D., said. "Her experience, knowledge, and leadership skills have earned her the respect of her peers, including the team at AAHRPP. We are confident that she will build on AAHRPP's impressive track record of success, expand AAHRPP's reach in the U.S. and around the globe and take AAHRPP to even greater heights."

Before joining OHRP, Summers held positions with the Food and Drug Administration and AAU. She also worked as an attorney, advising clients on federal regulations and ethical issues related to conducting biomedical research, and practicing the law of tax-exempt organizations.

She succeeds Marjorie A. Speers, Ph.D., who in February announced her plans to retire by year- end. Speers has led AAHRPP since its founding in 2001, establishing the organization as a champion for quality research and rigorous human research protections worldwide. During her tenure, the majority of U.S. research-intensive universities and medical schools earned AAHRPP accreditation. Organizations in Canada, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan have also attained AAHRPP accreditation.

Summers holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a Juris Doctor in law from The George Washington University National Law Center in Washington, D.C.

About AAHRPP: A nonprofit organization, AAHRPP works with groups that conduct human research in order to raise the level of protection for research participants. AAHRPP accredits organizations that can demonstrate that their participant safeguards exceed U.S. federal requirements. The accreditation program uses a voluntary, peer-driven, educational model. To learn more about accreditation, visit www.aahrpp.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sarah Kiskaddon
Director of Business Development, Communications, and Public Relations
[email protected] 
(202) 783-1112

SOURCE Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs