Faculty

Faculty Biographies

Elizabeth Anne Bankert, MA
In January ’06, Liz accepted the position of Assistant Provost at Dartmouth College. Prior to this position she was the Director of the Institutional Review Board for over 9 years.  Liz is a Past President of Applied Research Ethics National Association (ARENA), a national membership organization comprised of over 2,000 IRB professionals, members, and researchers.  Liz is the co-editor with Robert Amdur of a text entitled:  IRB: Management and Function, the second edition was released in November ’05.  The book is a compilation of over 80 authors providing expertise on as many topics in the realm of research with human subjects.  Liz's most recent endeavor is a collaboration with Skip Nelson, MD at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in the creation of a web based site referred to as IRBNet.  The primary mission of IRBNet is to create an effective and efficient means of education and communication between sponsors, IRBs, and researchers with the goal of enhancing and streamlining the processes involved with research involving human subjects.  IRBNet can be found at www.irbnet.org.

Mary Becker, RN

Mary Becker is the Associate Director of the Office for Research Protections at The Pennsylvania State University.  She received her Registered Nurse (R.N.) license from the Sacred Heart Hospital School of Nursing in Allentown.  After working as an operating room nurse for many years, she graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Rehabilitation Education.  Mary gained extensive experience with drug and alcohol counseling at an inpatient treatment facility, where she conducted individual and group counseling sessions and developed and taught classes on alcohol and health related issues.  Mary also worked at Penn State as a Research Coordinator at the Biomechanics Laboratory where she did alcohol and gait research, diabetes research and balance research in the elderly and published several articles with other investigators.  In 2003, she was hired as the Biomedical Compliance Coordinator for the Office for Research Protections (ORP) at Penn State University.  The ORP assists University faculty, staff, and students with obtaining approval for proposed research projects from the University compliance committees related to human, animal, biohazardous and radioisotope research.  In Mary’s role, she developed educational seminars, scheduled reviews, provided screening of proposals, maintained records of review proceedings, etc.  In 2005, she was promoted to Associate Director.   As the Associate Director she helps to manage the day to day operation of the ORP along with the Director and manages the human participant research program and related compliance issues.

Marc Cardinalli, JD
Marc Cardinalli, JD is the Administrative Code Officer and Assistant General Counsel for University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Mr. Cardinalli is responsible for assisting UNLV’s General Counsel. Specific job duties include assisting with advice and counsel concerning legal rights and obligations of the university, review and negotiation of contracts, review of legal implications of pending legislation, and legal research and review of such documents as proposed legislation, administrative policies and contracts.  Mr. Cardinalli has been with UNLV since 1998 as the Administrative Code Officer.  Prior to coming to UNLV, Mr. Cardinalli acted as the assistant general counsel for the University and Community College System of Nevada and was a deputy attorney general for the state of Nevada. Mr. Cardinalli received his juris doctorate from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in 1986, and is a member of the Bar in the states of Nevada and California. He is also a member of the Federal Bar of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Marisue Cody, PhD, RN
Dr. Cody is a graduate of University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where she completed a degree in Nursing. Subsequently, she completed a master’s degree in Nursing at California State University Long Beach and a doctorate in Public Policy and Health Services Administration at the University of Southern California. She held a number of faculty appointments in nursing while in Southern California. In 1996, Dr. Cody joined the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the VA Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes (CeMHOR) in Little Rock. She served as the Associate Director of CeMHOR from 1999 to 2004.  While on faculty at UAMS, Dr. Cody served on the Institutional Review Board (IRB) as a member for 4 years and as Chair for 2 years. During her tenure, Dr. Cody started a new Behavioral and Social Science review committee and trained all new members. She assisted in the development of an online submission and review system working closely with the software developers. She oversaw the development and implementation of standard operating procedures for the IRB. Dr. Cody also provided extensive training in human subects protection for IRB members and investigators both locally and nationally.  Dr. Cody is now the Director of the Center On Advice and Compliance Help (COACH) within the Program for Research Integrity, Development and Education (PRIDE) in VA Office of Research and Development. She is in charge of educational activities for VA Research and assists in the management of the accreditation process for VA human research participant protection programs (HRPPP). Dr. Cody developed and implemented a VA-wide training program in preparation for accreditation (ACE!). She oversaw the development of self-assessment tools and written a number of guidance tools to help in interpretation and application of HRPPP policies. She provides off-site and on-site reviews for facilities to assess readiness for accreditation and advise management regarding the effectiveness of their HRPP Program. Educational products include an online course, “Overview of Good Clinical Practice and Human Subjects Practices,” face-to-face courses such as “ACE! Training” and “HRPPP 101”.  Dr. Cody’s research interests include organizational characteristics necessary for implementing best practices; health care utilization and outcomes management for older adults with a mental health diagnosis; the relationship between dementia; utilization of health services and quality of life; and quality of training and education for nursing staff caring for patients with dementia. She has over 40 publications in these areas. Dr. Cody’s current focus is on development of durable training materials utilizing e-learning and web-based approaches.

Jeffrey M. Cohen, PhD, CIP
Dr. Cohen currently serves as President of HRP Associates, Inc., a firm engaged in training and consulting in human research protections. Previously, Dr. Cohen served for two years as Associate Dean, Responsible Conduct of Research at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Prior to his service at Weill Medical College, Dr. Cohen served as Director, Division of Education and Development in Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) in the US Department of Health and Human Services for four years. At OHRP, Dr. Cohen was responsible for OHRP’s human subects education program. This included coordination of a national program of educational workshops, the development and dissemination of educational materials, making presentations and conducting training sessions for institutions and professional organizations, and the development of on-line training materials.  Dr. Cohen received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Northern Illinois University in 1974. For twenty years Dr. Cohen served in the Office for Research at the University at Albany, State University of New York. As Associate Director for Research Compliance and Information Management he was responsible for ensuring that all research activities at the university were in compliance with Federal regulations, administered the IRB and the IACUC, and served as Director of the Laboratory Animal Facility. Dr. Cohen has been an active contributor to national discussion of human subjects issues since 1979, is a highly visible participant at national meetings such as those sponsored by PRIM&R (Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research) and is a past President of ARENA (The Applied Research Ethics National Association). Dr. Cohen is also a Certified IRB Professional.

Lori Coleman, MBA
Lori Coleman is an Ethics and Compliance Officer (ECO) and HIPAA Privacy Official for HCA – Hospital Corporation of America.  Lori has oversight for the Compliance and HIPAA Privacy Program in over 19 of the 190 hospitals within HCA, which also includes surgery centers, clinics and other entities located in Denver, Colorado and Kansas City, Missouri.  She has been an ECO for over seven years.  Lori was one of a small few involved in HCA’s Privacy Health Information Work Group and has been well versed in HIPAA for some time.  Lori earned her MBA in Operations Management at Regis University and B.S. in Biology at Colorado State University.

Kelly Fennington
Ms. Kelly Fennington joined the NIH Office of Biotechnology Activities as Special Assistant to the Director in April, 2000.  She serves as the Project Officer for the national clinical gene transfer database, the Genetic Modification Clinical Research Information System (GeMCRIS).  GeMCRIS enhances the development of human gene transfer clinical trials while optimizing patient safety, identifying critical information gaps, and facilitating the sharing of research strategies.   Ms. Fennington also staffs the new NIH program on Clinical Research Policy Analysis and Coordination (CRpac), working on a range of issues related to adverse event reporting and human subject protection.  In this capacity, Ms. Fennington serves as the Executive Secretary for the Federal Adverse Event Task Force (FAET), a trans-federal committee that works towards promoting greater harmonization among federal agency requirements for adverse event reporting. She is also the Executive Secretary for the Trans-NIH Bioethics Committee (TNBC), a trans-NIH committee that serves as a forum for discussion and analysis on a range of issues related to the conduct and oversight of NIH-funded clinical research.  Prior to joining OBA, Ms. Fennington served as Special Assistant to the NIH Director.  In this capacity, Ms. Fennington was a liaison with the NIH Intramural staff, researched and collected background information used in speeches and policy presentations, established written guidelines and policy procedures on a variety of topics, and served as the Ethical Coordinator within the Immediate Office of the Director.

Paul Ferguson, PhD
Dr. Paul W. Ferguson, Professor of Toxicology in the Department of Biological Sciences, earned the B.A. in Biology at Whittier College and the Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Ferguson has also worked as a Research Specialist for the Department of Pathology at Women's' Hospital, Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, Research Biologist for Pennwalt Corporation, and as Senior Toxicologist for the Unocal Corporation. Dr. Ferguson has published 85 articles, book chapters, and abstracts in the professional literature and has received approximately 2.2 million dollars in extramural funding for biomedical research and education programs.  Dr. Ferguson is currently responsible for strategic directions and management of Research and Graduate Studies at UNLV including programs supervised by the Executive Director of the UNLV Research Foundation, Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Associate Vice President for Research Services (Offices of Sponsored Programs, Protection of Research Subjects, Animal Care and Use, Faculty Development Grants Programs), Dean of the Graduate College, and the Council for University-wide Centers and Institutes .

George Gasparis, CIP
George Gasparis is the Asst. Vice President and Sr. Asst. Dean for Research Ethics at Columbia University Medical Center.  In this capacity, he is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive human subjects protection program.  He also serves as the Executive Director of four IRBs at Columbia University.  Prior to his arrival at Columbia University in June 2003, George was the Director for the Division of Assurances and Quality Improvement at the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP).  He started at OHRP (at that time OPRR) in 1996 as an Assurance Coordinator.   George has had prior experience with IRBs. He was the Director, Office of Human Research at The George Washington University Medical Center from 1991 –1996.  In that capacity he served as the administrator for the GWU Medical Center IRB, Director of the Research Pharmacy, and also served on the behavioral IRB for the university. George also has had extensive experience with clinical trials.  From 1980 until 1991, he was employed at the GWU Lipid Research Clinic and served as the Data Manager from 1984 to 1991. During his tenure as Data Manager he managed over 40 clinical trials, including NIH awards and studies for 10 different pharmaceutical companies.  George is a graduate of GWU.  In 2003, he became a Certified IRB Professional (CIP).  He was born in Northern Virginia and moved to New Jersey in August 2003.

Kathryn L. Harris, PhD
Kathryn is the Senior Outreach and Education Specialist (contractor) in the Office of Biotechnology Activities (OBA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). OBA promotes science, safety, and ethics in biotechnology through advancement of knowledge, enhancement of public understanding, and development of sound public policies. OBA accomplishes its mission through analysis, deliberation, and communication of scientific, medical, ethical, legal, and social issues in several areas, including recombinant DNA and human gene transfer, genetic technologies, xenotransplantation, and dual use research and biosecurity.  Kathryn joined OBA in 2004. One of her current roles within OBA is to develop national and regional programs of stakeholder relations, education, and outreach strategies relevant to the oversight of recombinant DNA research.  In addition, she advises on biosafety and dual use research issues. Kathryn moved to the USA in 1994 to attend graduate school. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University and completed two years of postdoctoral training at Washington University in St Louis.  Prior to joining OBA she was the Biological Safety Officer at Northwestern University. Kathryn is Registered Biosafety Professional and a member of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) and the Chesapeake Area Biological Safety Association (ChABSA). She was a founding member and first president of the Midwest Area Biosafety Network (MABioN).

Shirley Hicks, RN
Ms. Hicks joined OHRP September 2001.  Prior to being appointed Director, Division of Education and Development in October 2003, Ms. Hicks served as Acting Director from January to September 2003.   As the Director of the Division of Education and Development, Ms. Hicks has responsibility for the development and conduct of education and quality improvement activities to enhance the protections for human research subjects.  In addition, Ms. Hicks frequently serves as faculty at major conferences, presenting on numerous topics regarding human research protection.  Prior to joining OHRP, Ms. Hicks was a Regulatory Specialist for the Division of AIDS (DAIDS), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH) from January 1998 to September 2001.  In this capacity, Ms. Hicks had responsibility for helping to ensure regulatory compliance with human subject protection regulations (HHS and FDA) for all the DAIDS-sponsored clinical trials groups.  Ms. Hicks has more than a thirty-year nursing career that includes specialization in clinical research and staff education.  Ms. Hicks received her nursing education at Union Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland and Towson State University in Towson, Maryland, and is a licensed registered nurse in the state of Maryland. 

Patricia Holobaugh
Patricia Holobaugh is the Chief of the Bioresearch Monitoring Branch, in FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.  She has worked in the FDA Good Clinical Practice and GLP arena for more than 15 years, and has worked on several high-profile CBER enforcement actions.  Ms. Holobaugh previously worked in CBER research laboratories and conducted inspections for the former Bureau of Foods. 

Paul Jones, EdD
Paul Jones is Co-Chair of the UNLV Social/Behavioral Sciences IRB, Professor of Educational Psychology, and Coordinator of Ph.D. studies in School Psychology and School Counseling.  He joined the UNLV faculty in1987, following eight years of full-time private practice as a psychologist in Las Vegas.  He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in Psychology from Eastern New Mexico University, and an Ed.D. in Counseling from New Mexico State University.  His professional experience includes university and public school teaching in New Mexico and employment as a research psychologist with
Science Research Associates/IBM in Chicago.  He has published more than 60 articles in refereed professional journals and four textbooks, including a recent research methods text. His current research interests are focused on delivery of school-based mental health services.

Lyndi Lahl, RN, MS
Lyndi Lahl is a Public Health Analyst in the Division of Education and Development at the Office for Human Research Protections.  Lyndi received her BSN and her MS in Nursing Informatics from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. From 1999 to 2004, she served as a Research Nurse Specialist with the Intramural Division of the National Cancer Institute, where she served as a Primary and Associate Investigator for breast cancer prevention and epidemiologic studies. During this time, Lyndi also worked with IT staff to develop a new database for NCI intramural studies. Since 2004, Lyndi has worked for OHRP, offering advice to individuals on how to interpret and apply the Federal regulations for Protection of Human Subjects to their institution, giving presentations to institutions and organizations on human subjects protections, and conducting quality improvement site visits for institutions that have an Assurance of Compliance or registered IRB with OHRP. 

Helen McGough, MA, CIP
Helen McGough has supported the human subjects review function at the University of Washington for over twenty years.  In her life before human subjects, she directed a non-profit family services agency, served as a lobbyist for children’s issues, did behavioral research in the areas of medical education and obstetrical practice, and taught social science at the university level in the U.S. and overseas.  Helen has developed materials and presented at international, national, regional, and local conferences and workshops on a variety of topics related to the involvement of humans in research.  She has worked with groups of all sizes and from a wide variety of educational and cultural backgrounds.  She has developed and delivered training materials for researchers, their staff, Institutional Review Board (IRB) members, and community groups on the ethical conduct of research with human subjects.  Helen is the newsletter editor for the Applied Research Ethics National Association (ARENA), and has published in the area of human subjects protections.  Helen is a current member of the Board of Directors for Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R), a non-profit organization devoted to the ethical conduct of research.  She serves as a faculty member for PRIM&R’s 101 On-The-Road program.  Helen serves on the editorial board of the journal, IRB, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs.  She is an active member of the Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI), a group dedicated to the development of web-based education for human researchers, and of Partnership for Enhancing Human Research Protections (PEHRP), an international organization of African nations.

John Mercer, PhD
Dr. Mercer is the co-chair of the Biomedical Institutional Review Board at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Dr. Mercer is also the Chair of the Department of Kinesiology, Director of the Biomechanics Laboratory and Co-Director of the Center of Disability and Applied Biomechanics.  Dr. Mercer has conducted extensive research on understanding how impact forces during locomotion are related to overuse injuries and in understanding how the human adjusts locomotion behavior relative to the impact phenomenon. His research has focused on how a person absorbs the energy due to the collision between the foot and ground during walking, running, as well as landing movements.

Samuel Merrill, PhD
Dr. Samuel Merrill, Jr. is a Senior Scientist/Investigator in the Division of Investigative Oversight in the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), Office of Public Health and Science, U.S. Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services.  Prior to joining the Office of Research Integrity, he worked for ten years at the Congressional Research Service on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C. as a special scientific and biomedical advisor to Members of Congress.  In that capacity, Dr. Merrill was responsible for briefing the Congresspersons and their staff on the status of biomedical research, it’s funding, and treatment of certain diseases.  In his twelve years with ORI, Dr. Merrill has conducted inquiries and investigations into allegations of scientific misconduct and has overseen numerous investigations involving allegations of scientific misconduct in biomedical research including human subjects. He has extensive training in standard investigative techniques such as interviewing, sequestration of evidence, and document analysis and examination.

Linda Mullins, RN, BSN
Linda Mullins is the Ethics and Compliance Officer (ECO) and HIPAA Privacy Official for Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center & Sunrise Children’s Hospital, a tertiary level hospital with over 700 beds in Las Vegas, Nevada and an affiliate of Hospital Corporation of America, (HCA).   Linda has oversight for the Compliance and HIPAA Privacy Program as well as the Contract Administration process at Sunrise.  She has been an ECO for over three years and is an experienced Intensive Care Nurse.  Linda was selected to participate in HCA’s Privacy Health Information Work Group in Nashville, Tennessee as a facility representative.  The group was responsible for the groundwork of regulation interpretation and policy-making for HCA and Affiliates.  Linda earned her BSN at University of Texas at Arlington.

Laura M. Odwazny, JD, MA
Laura M. Odwazny is a Senior Attorney with the Office of the General Counsel, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Odwazny’s primary client is the Office for Human Research Protections, which interprets and enforces the HHS regulations at 45 CFR part 46 that provide protections for human research subjects.  Ms. Odwazny also has provided legal advice to the Division of Practitioner Data Banks, HHS, the Office of Global Health Affairs, HHS, and the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission.  Prior to her employment with HHS, Ms. Odwazny served as a law clerk to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.  Ms. Odwazny is a graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and received a M.A. in Bioethics through the History and Philosophy of Science Department at the University of Pittsburgh.

Lori Olafson, PhD
Lori Olafson is an associate professor in educational psychology who joined the UNLV faculty in 1999. She earned her Ph.D. in 1999 from the University of Calgary. She also holds an M.A. and a B.Ed. from the University of Calgary, and a B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan. Her current research focuses on the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and practices, assessment, and resistance theory. At UNLV, Lori teaches courses in assessment and qualitative research methods.

Joan P. Porter, MSc, DPA, MPH, CIP
Since January 1, 2000, Dr. Porter has served as the Associate Director in the Office of Research Oversight, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.  This office is concerned with development and implementation for the Department of protections for human subjects in research, animal welfare, research misconduct, and related matters concerned with the responsible conduct of research.  She holds a Doctorate of Public Administration in Health Science and Health Policy from the University of South California, and a Masters of Public Health Degree (Epidemiology) from The Johns Hopkins University, and a Masters of Science degree from Southern Illinois University.  She is also a Certified IRB Professional.  She served as Executive Secretary of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and Executive Secretary, National Science and Technology Council in the White House from May 1998 until January 2000.  Prior to that time, Dr. Porter was a Health Research Policy Analyst at Headquarters, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Frederick, MD.  She also served as staff as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses form October 1995 to November 1997.  Prior to that time, she was a Health Research Policy Analyst with the Office for Protection from Research Risks (OPRR) where she worked to extend and enhance human subjects protections policies and procedures to research conducted and supported by the Federal Departments and Agencies.  During her service at the Department of Health and Human Services, Dr. Porter served as Executive Secretary of the Human Subjects Coordinating Committee of the Committee on Science, National Science and Technology Council; Co Chair of the Ethical and Legal Implications of HIV Task Force; National Institute of Health Desk Officer to the National AIDS Program Office for the Department of Health and Human Services; and Executive Secretary to the National Cancer Institute/Food and Drug Administration, Investigational New Drug Task Force.  Among other career experiences, Dr. Porter has worked in the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development; as Special Assistant to the Director, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health; as a Research Associate, United States House of Representative Budget Committee; and various other assignments at the National institutes of Health.  Dr. Porter has written and edited an extensive number of articles concerning human subjects protections, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of science and technology.

Ernest D. Prentice, PhD
Ernest D. Prentice, Ph.D.,is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UNMC. He also is professor of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy and Professor of Preventive and Societal Medicine. Dr. Prentice has served as co-chair of the UNMC Institutional Review Board (IRB) for over 23 years and served as the co-chair of the UNMC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for 12 years. In addition to his scholarly work in the fields of anatomy and medical education, Dr. Prentice is the author of numerous articles on the ethics and regulation of both human and animal research and he is a frequent speaker at meetings on various aspects of research ethics. He serves as a consultant to universities, hospitals and law firms in the private sector.  Dr. Prentice is often a member of national panels and writing groups addressing various aspects of research ethics and regulatory oversight of research. He is a member of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) council and serves on the Scientist Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW) Board of Trustees. He is also Chairman of the Health and Human Services Secretary's Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection (SACHRP).

Ivor Pritchard, PhD
Ivor Pritchard is a Senior Fellow in the Office for Human Research Protections in the Department of Health and Human Services.  He comes to OHRP from the Institute for Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education, where he was a Senior Research Analyst.  He joined the U.S Department of Education in 1986.  He has a Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston University.  His research interests are in research ethics and federal policy, moral and civic education research and practice, and education policy.

Charles Rasmussen, PhD
Dr. Rasmussen is a long-term member of the Biomedical IRB (at least 20 years) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and currently serves as co-chair of that body.  He is a faculty member of the Department of Psychology whose area of interest is electrophysiology and the visual event-related potential.  His areas of instruction are physiological psychology sensory processes and statistics.  He is also one of the oldest geezers on campus! J

Roberto Rivera, MD
Dr. Roberto Rivera has over 40 years of international experience in health research and education. He is a graduate from the National University of Mexico, and was a post-doctoral research fellow in leading University-based centers in the US. He was founder and Director of the Scientific Research Institute of Juarez University in Durango, Mexico; under his leadership the institute became one of the leading centers in reproductive health research and education in the developing countries. He joined Family Health International (FHI), Research Triangle Park, NC, in 1987 as Director of the Division of Clinical Trials. In 1992 he was designated FHI Corporate Director for International Medical Affairs, where he forged new relationships with population and reproductive health organizations worldwide. In 1999 he was appointed Director of the Office of International Research Ethics, where he is responsible of assuring that all research conducted by FHI is compliant with the highest ethical standards and US, international and national regulations. He has been a leader in the development of research ethics training materials being used globally. Dr. Rivera has been a member, since its establishment, of the Regional Advisory Panel for the Americas of the Reproductive Health and Research Department of the World Health Organization (WHO). He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Latin American Forum of Health Research Ethics Committees. He has lectured and published extensively in the area of reproductive health.

Susan Rose, PhD
Dr. Susan L. Rose serves as the Executive Director of the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects at the University of Southern California.  This job entails shepherding USC through the AAHRPP accreditation process, setting campus wide best practices and establishing a research ethics education program.  Dr. Rose was the Human Subjects Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy, a program she began in the early 1980’s.  Her emphasis there was on education and communication.  She produced widely disseminated publications, newsletters, and booklets and was very active in national human subjects policy and educational forums.  Dr. Rose taught biology before she entered government service.

Mark Rudin, PhD
Mark Rudin earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in health physics from Purdue University. He has gained professional experience as a Program Manager in the area of technology development with EG&G Idaho, Inc. at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in Idaho Falls, ID. He has also served on a one-year outplant assignment with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Development in Germantown, MD. Dr. Rudin was hired as Chair of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Department of Health Physics in 1993. He has taught a number of health physics courses in the areas of general radiation science, radiation detection, and radiation biology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. His research has primarily involved studying the source, speciation, sorption, transport, and bioavailability of biological and chemical agents, especially radionuclides, in the environment.  Currently, he serves as Senior Associate Vice President for Research Services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Professionally, he currently serves as an Associate Editor of the Health Physics Journal and is an active member of the Health Physics Society.

Marian Serge, RN
Marian Serge is a registered nurse and has past experience as a research coordinator at Wake Forest University Medical School, a Clinical Research Associate at NIH, and as a project officer and a regulatory affairs specialist at NIH.  Ms. Serge has been with the Center for Devices and Radiological Health since 1997.  She is a Nurse Consultant in the Division of Bioresearch Monitoring, Office of Compliance, Center for Devices and Radiological Health.  She is a Peer Reviewed Expert in Human Subject Protections.

Joan E. Sieber, PhD
Joan E. Sieber is Professor Emerita of Psychology (California State University, East Bay), Senior Research Associate at Simmons College, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. During the last 25 years, she has specialized in empirical research on questions of scientific ethics, culturally sensitive methods of research and intervention, data sharing methodology, and whistle-blowing. She served as Acting Director of the National Science Foundation program Societal Dimensions of Engineering, Science and Technology in 2001-02, and is currently involved in research on (gentle) alternatives to whistle-blowing.   She serves as a site visitor to IRBs seeking accreditation, sat on the Accreditation Council of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), and serves on various editorial boards and review panels.  She is Editor-in-Chief of a new international peer-reviewed nonprofit educational journal, the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics (JERHRE).

Marjorie A. Speers, PhD
Dr. Speers is the Executive Director of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP).  She served at the National Bioethics Advisory Commission from 1999-2001, both as project director for a report on the research oversight system and as Acting Executive Director.  Dr. Speers was Deputy Associate Director for Science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 1995-2000.  She held a variety of positions at CDC from 1988-1995: Director of the Division of Chronic Disease Control and Community Intervention, Chief of the Aging and Statistics Branch, and staff epidemiologist.  Prior to joining CDC, she was a faculty member at the University of Texas Medical Branch and the University of Connecticut -Stamford.  Her research is focused in public health, primarily on prevention and health promotion.  Dr. Speers received doctoral degrees in psychology and epidemiology from Yale University and bachelor’s degree in psychology from Dickinson College.   

Michael Stitt, PhD
J. Michael Stitt received his Ph.D. in Folklore from Indiana University, and has been a member of UNLV’s Department of English since 1981.  Over the years his fieldwork has taken him from the blackjack tables of Las Vegas to the isolated Rhodope mountains of Southern Bulgaria.  He has served on UNLV’s SBE IRB since its inception, and has chaired it since 2003.

Lacy Thomas, CPA
Lacy L. Thomas, CPA, is currently the Chief Executive Officer of University Medical Center (UMC). He is responsible for overseeing all administrative and clinical activities of the hospital, including several satellite facilities.  Previously, Thomas was Hospital Director of John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, formerly Cook County Hospital, in Chicago. Prior to that, Thomas was the Chief Financial Officer of the City Colleges of Chicago. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer for Cook County Hospital and subsequently elevated to the same position for the Cook County Bureau of Health Services.  Thomas received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Chicago State University, where he was a member of Beta Alpha Psi, the national honorary accounting fraternity. He is a member of the Las Vegas Urban Chamber of Commerce, the Nevada Hospital Association (NHA) Board of Directors, the University of Southern Nevada (formerly the Nevada College of Pharmacy) Board of Directors, and is a board member for the Las Vegas-Clark County Urban League. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternities, Inc.

Martin Wallenstein, PhD, JD
Martin Wallenstein is the IRB Chairperson and Chair of the Department of Speech, Theatre and Media Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice where he also served as Acting Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Acting Chief Librarian..  He is a former Assistant District Attorney for Kings County New York   He received his Ph.D. in Speech Communication from Indiana University and his J.D. from St. Johns University and his M.A. in Communication Theory and Media from Queens College.