PRIM&R Summit
Regional Summit on Research Ethics Co-Presented by Emory University In-Person Event
Thursday, February 26, 2026 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Elevating Your Expertise at an In-Person Research Ethics Summit
Thursday, February 26, 2026 | Emory University | Atlanta, Georgia
9:00 AM–12:00 PM ET
PRIM&R is pleased to host a free, half-day, in-person summit focused on emerging issues in research ethics and oversight, presented by Emory University. This regional convening at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia will bring together research oversight professionals, investigators, and institutional leaders to examine how scientific and technological innovation is reshaping ethical frameworks and regulatory practice.
Through expert-led sessions and applied discussion, participants will explore timely topics at the intersection of ethics, policy, and oversight, including artificial intelligence, nonanimal methodologies, and evolving concepts of vulnerability in research. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. Multiple attendees from the same organization are welcome; however, each attendee must register individually using their own account.
Through expert-led sessions and applied discussion, participants will explore timely topics at the intersection of ethics, policy, and oversight, including artificial intelligence, nonanimal methodologies, and evolving concepts of vulnerability in research. Space is limited, and advance registration is required. Multiple attendees from the same organization are welcome; however, each attendee must register individually using their own account.
Agenda
9:00–9:20 AM ET Introduction to Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research (PRIM&R) and the Summit
9:20–10:20 AM ET Session One Panel Discussion: “Research Ethics and Oversight at the Intersection of Innovation" Speakers: Brenda Curtis, PhD, MsPH; Jennifer Klahn, MA, CPIA; Janet Stemwedel, PhD
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) are reshaping research and raising new ethical, regulatory, and oversight challenges. This session examines their implications for study design, scientific validity, participant and animal protections, and oversight responsibilities across IRBs, IACUCs, and research administration and provides guidance and tools to support ethical review.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify how the use of AI in research affects study design, participant selection, and safety
- Discuss the regulatory requirements for research involving the use of AI tools and methodologies
- Provide guidance and tools for ethics review of board risk assessments for research involving the use of AI
- Identify the key principles of animal and non-animal testing methodologies in preclinical research
- Discuss and address regulatory challenges associated with exclusively requiring non-animal testing methods
- Address the ethical and practical implications of integrating NAMs into existing animal research programs
CPIA® Credit: Attendees holding the Certified Professional in IACUC Administration (CPIA®) credential may apply 1 continuing education credits towards CPIA recertification. Please refer to the CPIA® recertification guidelines for additional information
10:30–11:30 AM ET Session Two: “Vulnerability Beyond the Regulations"
Speakers: Emily Anderson, PhD and David Agustin Hodge, Sr., DMin, PhD
Regulatory frameworks governing human subjects research identify specific categories of vulnerability, yet IRBs are increasingly asked to evaluate studies in which vulnerability arises from contextual, technological, or social factors that extend beyond regulatory definitions. This session examines the limitations of existing regulatory and ethical frameworks and explores how emerging research methods, digital technologies, and structural inequities can create or intensify vulnerability not explicitly addressed in the regulations. Through discussion of real-world scenarios, attendees will gain practical approaches to identifying, assessing, and responding to vulnerability during protocol review, supporting consistent, defensible, and ethically grounded determinations that uphold human subjects protections while facilitating responsible research.
Learning Objectives:
- Assess limitations within the existing regulatory and ethical frameworks, including how emerging technologies and social conditions create new or insufficiently addressed forms of vulnerability
- Apply core ethical principles to support consistent, proportionate IRB determinations when vulnerability is context-dependent and not explicitly defined in the regulations
- Discuss real-world scenarios and practical approaches to identify, evaluate, and respond to vulnerability beyond regulatory definitions
CIP® Credit:Attendees holding the Certified IRB Professional (CIP®) credential may apply 1 continuing education credits towards CIP recertification. Please refer to the CIP® recertification guidelines for additional information.
11:40 AM ET –12:00 PM ET Closing Remarks
Summit Venue Information
Sessions will be held at the School of Medicine’s James B. Williams Medical Education Building at Emory University, located at 1599 Clifton Road. The 162,000-square-foot, environmentally sustainable facility opened in 2007 and incorporates historic architectural elements from the original Anatomy and Physiology buildings dating to 1917. Today, it serves as a model for 21st-century medical education, integrating patient care training with basic science and research through state-of-the-art instructional technology and learning spaces designed to support active learning.
Final venue details and parking information will be shared with registered attendees closer to the event.