Strengthening the CAN Connection

Members of AAHRPP-accredited organizations are embracing CAN Connect, a new Collaborative AAHRPP Network (CAN) initiative that provides opportunities to tackle emerging issues, share resources and experiences, and support one another in a confidential, collegial environment.

CAN Connect sessions are held every other month, via Zoom. Topics reflect the interests and concerns of the AAHRPP-accredited community, and meetings are structured to encourage frank discussion. For that reason, CAN Connect follows the Chatham House Rule: “… participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.”*

The next meeting will be held on May 6; the topic is evaluating IRB member effectiveness.

The goal of CAN Connect, according to AAHRPP Executive Vice President Michelle Feige, MSW, LCSW-C, is to tap the knowledge and expertise of the community in a setting created “by the people, for the people—a place where they can be open and honest about some of the struggles we’re facing and ways to address them.”

Each of the first two meetings drew roughly 60 attendees. In January, they discussed different approaches to investigational new drug (IND) exemptions. The March meeting covered the timely topic of disclosing when and how artificial intelligence (AI) is used in human subjects research.

Presenters say they welcome the opportunity to contribute. Even more, they find enormous value in hearing their peers’ perspectives in a forum where they can speak openly.

“I know I’m more confident in my decision-making when it reflects what I’ve learned from other institutions,” says Hannah Owen, MPA, Associate Director, University of Utah IRB. She and University of Utah IRB Director Annie Snow, MPA, shared their policy for clinical research involving INDs at the January CAN Connect meeting.

Michelle Watkinson, CIP, and Megan M. Ringel, PhD, of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, were asked to present their “AI in Human Subjects Research: Rutgers Consent Guide” in March after Michelle Watkinson publicized it on LinkedIn. She is the Training & Communications Manager for the Rutgers HRPP and IRB; Megan is an IRB Administrator and Expedited Reviewer. They developed the guide with their colleagues Nathan C. Walker, EdD, First Amendment and human rights educator and founder of the Rutgers AI Ethics Lab, and Swapnali Chaudhuri, MBBS, MS, CRC/CRA, Director of the IRB and HRPP.

Use of AI in human subjects research has become increasingly common. Yet, at a time when many institutions would welcome additional federal guidance, it has declined significantly. The Rutgers team developed a resource to support its own research community. The team shared the resulting product to help other organizations and to solicit feedback—and CAN Connect proved an excellent vehicle.

“It’s structured differently than other types of webinars,” Megan says, citing the emphasis on a confidential, interactive environment. “They intentionally don’t record, and they devote at least half the presentation to questions and answers. It’s unique, and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for future CAN Connect events.”

Michelle Watkinson, who has more than two decades of experience in human subjects research, says the long-collegial field has become even more collaborative, in part because of technology that enables colleagues to meet “face-to-face” virtually. (CAN Connect guidelines include “Keep your camera on to build connection and trust.”)

“We can learn so much more when we can interact personally and meet each other where we are,” Michelle Watkinson says. In a setting such as CAN Connect, for example, “It’s a lot easier to ask, ‘What’s your stance on AI?’ If they’re not using AI personally or professionally, it’s really valuable to find out why—are they personally concerned, or is there an institutional risk we should be considering?”

Those are precisely the types of insights AAHRPP’s Michelle Feige is hoping to glean via CAN Connect. “Ours is such a knowledgeable, collaborative community,” she says. “As a convener, one of AAHRPP’s goals is to bring the community together and make the most of their expertise—for their benefit and in support of our unwavering commitment to ethical, quality research.”

*Information shared in this article was done so with permission from those involved and, therefore, is acceptable under the Chatham House Rule.