The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs featured Rutgers University’s Megan Ringel, PhD, Michelle Watkinson, CIP, Nathan C. Walker, EdD, and Swapnali Chaudhuri, MBBS, MS, CIP at the Collaborative AAHRPP Network (CAN).
They explored how AI is impacting human research and what that means for consent materials and participant-facing communication. Using Rutgers University’s AI Consent Guide as a shared reference point, we’ll compare approaches, surface common questions, and exchange lessons learned across programs.
Newsletter Excerpt | Spring 2026
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-established field has become even more collaborative, in part because technology 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.”