Research Integrity Office

Protection of Research Participants
The Mission of the TTUHSC Research Integrity Office (RIO) is to provide administrative oversight of TTUHSC research activities to ensure adherence with ethical and compliance standards required by federal and state regulations and by institutional policies. RIO manages research compliance committees and provides ongoing monitoring and training for the TTUHSC research community in areas such as human and animal research, lab safety, recombinant DNA, research misconduct, and financial conflicts of interest.
The many components of the Research Integrity office provide oversight of TTUHSC policies related to regulatory compliance. Our employees are committed to providing ongoing training and monitoring in order to promote ethical and compliant research practices throughout the TTUHSC system.
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Reviews research involving human subjects. All human research studies are reviewed by the IRB before beginning and continue to be monitored for the duration of the project, evaluating risks to subjects and compliance with federal regulations and institutional policies. MORE
Lubbock/Odessa
Karen Douglas
Unit Manager
806.743.4753 | F: 806.743.4746
karen.douglas@ttuhsc.edu
Amarillo/Dallas/Abilene
Katherine Thomas, BSN, CIP
Director - Amarillo Institutional Review Board
806.414-9935
kathy.thomas@ttuhsc.edu
Committee with federally mandated oversight responsibilities regarding the scientific and technical aspects of a grant award and must ensure compliance with Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. MORE
Sara Grano
IACUC Administrator
806.743.2027
sara.grano@ttuhsc.edu
IBC
Develop and advise on standard policy and procedures for the safe use, handling and
storage of hazardous chemical and biological materials. Additionally reviews reports
and supervises the institutional educational programs on the handling hazardous materials. Approves
and oversees the use recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules in a teaching,
research, or testing activities conducted at TTUHSC facilities or by TTUHSC research
personnel. MORE
Shelby Grubelnik
IBC Manager
806.743.1442
shelby.grubelnik@ttuhsc.edu
Laboratory Animal Resources Center (LARC) is committed to providing TTUHSC faculty, staff, and students with high quality, cost-effective research animal resources. The LARC is dedicated to providing the highest quality animal resources supporting research and teaching goals. MORE
Audits human research studies to monitor compliance with federal regulations, state laws, and TTUHSC institutional policies for the protection of the rights and welfare of human research participants.

Report a Compliance Issue or Concern
To report compliance issues or concerns,
submit an online report
or call the Fraud and Misconduct Hotline at
1-866-294-9352
Clinical Trials, Export Controls and Effort Reporting
Chad Copeland
Research Compliance Officer
806.743.4752 | F: 806.743.4746
chadley.copeland@ttuhsc.edu
Michael P. Blanton, Ph.D.
Research Integrity Officer
806.743.3600
michael.blanton@ttuhsc.edu
Systematic collection and analysis of data and implementation of interventions to improve the quality of clinical care and/or educational programs by students, faculty and staff at TTUHSC. MORE
APPLICATION:
CONTACT:
Toni Denison, MS, RBP
Director of Quality Improvement
806.743.4276
QIRB@ttuhsc.edu
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) is committed to the highest ethical standards and responsible use of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) or human Pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSC) in research. As part of that commitment, TTUHSC has established an Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) Committee that provides local oversight of ethical issues related to deviation and research of these types of cells in experiments expected to yield gametes or with the intent to integrate these cells in the central nervous system of animals. MORE
The RIO Staff provides training to groups and individuals on all aspects of research
ethics and compliance. Presentations can be tailored to the specific needs or questions
of each group, and we are happy to come to your campus (if we aren’t there already).
Please contact us to answer individual questions or to set up a presentation. MORE
Jennifer Board - IRB
Lead Analyst / IRB Education Coordinator
806.414.9932
jennifer.board@ttuhsc.edu
Jamie Wilks - IACUC
IACUC Coordinator
806.743.3603
jamie.wilks@ttuhsc.edu
The Research Integrity Office (RIO) Director serves as TTUHSC’s Research Integrity Officer to receive potential allegations of research misconduct in accordance with TTUHSC’s policy on Honesty in Research and the corresponding guidelines and procedures. In accordance with TTUHSC’s policy, research misconduct is defined as “fabrication, falsification or plagiarism in proposing, performing or reviewing research, or in reporting research results.”