Partnerships, Effectiveness, Ethics and Compliance (PEEC) Sub-Core

The mission of the Partnerships, Effectiveness, Ethics and Compliance (PEEC) sub-core is to leverage the interdisciplinary expertise of faculty from Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and the Division of Research and Sponsored Programs and other academic units to enhance NCCU’s capacity to adhere to accrediting bodies, stay privy on compliance regulations and conduct research in a culturally appropriate manner.

The sub-core's objectives include:

• Assisting the other cores within RCMI in fostering new partnerships and developing new opportunities for resource sharing, mentoring, community engagement, and developing joint research projects
• Providing culturally appropriate perspectives to and for the Research Capacity Core (RCC).
• Working with the NCCU Office of Research Compliance and Technology Transfer to support and ensure university-wide adherence to regulations and policies. This includes promoting culturally sound research practices, particularly in the following areas:
  • Animal research at NCCU's Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC)-certified facility
  • Compliance with Institutional Review Board (IRB) and human subjects research
  • Financial conflicts of interest
  • Research integrity
  • Responsible conduct of research
  • Intellectual property and technology transfer

The leaders of the PEEC sub-core are Ricardo Richardson, Ph.D.; Undi Hoffler, Ph.D.; Tracie Locklear, Ph.D.; and Deepak Kumar, Ph.D.

The core components of the PEEC sub-core are as follows:

1. Research consultations
2. Program evaluations
3. Cultural research practices
4. Conduct of research
5. Ensure credibility and integrity
6. Researchers' rights and responsibilities

The following resources are available through the PEEC sub-core:

• Support with compliance pertaining to institutional, state and federal regulations, including but not limited to IRB, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and biosafety
• Communication of changes in federal regulations compliance
• Training and workshops on federal regulations implementation
• Exploration of opportunities to enhance bioethics capacity (e.g., Clarity)
• Establishing and sustaining meaningful partnerships between biomedical research fields and the community to build trust, expand outreach and deliver on community initiatives (e.g., Clarity)

Current initiatives of the PEEC sub-core include the following:

• Inter-departmental discussions on clinical research and community engagement opportunities: Dr. Locklear led a breakout discussion on clinical research and outreach at the North Carolina Central University Inter-Research Institute Retreat, held April 29, 2025.
• Fostering collaboration across academia and industry to expand the clinical research workforce: Dr. Locklear participated as a panelist for the “Opportunities to Engage and Retain Talent in the Clinical Research Workforce” webinar hosted by the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials(MRCT) Center for Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard held on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.