Meet the OHRA Team

Matthew Ogrodnik, MS, CIP
Director, Office of Human Research Affairs
617-358-6559
maogrodn@bu.edu

Matt serves as the Director of the Office of Human Research Affairs. He is responsible for the overall operation of the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP), including the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Matt joined the BMC/BUMC Medical Campus IRB in 2012, and served as the director of the joint BMC/BU Medical Campus IRB from 2018-2020 prior to his appointment to director of OHRA. He has also had experience as a research coordinator. He graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in Psychology, and received his MS in Clinical Investigation from the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.

Mary-Tara Roth, RN, MSN, MPH
Director, Clinical Research Resources Office
Assistant Director, Human Research Protection Program
617-358-7679
mtroth@bu.edu

As Director of the CRRO, Mary-Tara is responsible for defining the office’s services and overseeing the implementation of those services to support clinical researchers at BMC and Boston University Medical Campus. In addition, she works at providing services to investigators and study teams, especially in the areas of consultations and training for all levels of the research team.

Hallie Altwies, BS
Human Research Education & Quality Assurance Coordinator
haltwies@bu.edu

As Human Research Education and Quality Assurance Coordinator, Hallie is responsible for supporting research consultations, education initiatives, QA reviews, and REDCap projects. Hallie previously worked as a clinical research coordinator in rheumatology and trauma departments for 3 years after graduating from Union College in 2021.

Karla Damus, PhD, MSPH, MN, RN FAAN
Administrator, ClinicalTrials.gov and MCSR Research Licensure
617-358-5337
damusk@bu.edu

As the ClinicalTrials.gov administrator Karla assists BU Medical Campus and BMC researchers and their teams with the regulations, guidances, policies and best practices related to clinical trials registration, updating, and when required, documents posting and results/statistical analysis reporting. She also conducts individual and small group trainings and provides educational sessions about ClinicalTrials.gov. In addition, Karla works with researchers that have an IND to facilitate their required annual licensure through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and is the contact for BMC and BU Medical Campus investigators who must comply with the 2018 Common Rule requirement 45 CFR 46.116(h). She is a perinatal epidemiologist, researcher, educator, and nurse. She received her PhD in epidemiology from UC Berkeley.

Marena Neggers, CCRP
Human Research Quality Manager
617-358-7554
mneggers@bu.edu
As a Human Research Quality Manager, Marena performs Quality Assurance (QA) reviews, including targeted audits, of human research studies conducted at Boston University Medical Campus (BU Medical Campus) and Boston Medical Center (BMC). Before this role, Marena worked for two years as the Regulatory Coordinator for the Clinical Research Resources Office (CRRO) and two years as a Research Coordinator in early cancer detection at MGH. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health with a certificate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at BUSPH.

Alyssa Pingitore, CCRP
Human Research Quality Manager
617-358-7555
aping@bu.edu
As a Human Research Quality Manager, Alyssa performs Quality Assurance (QA) reviews, including targeted audits, of human research studies conducted at Boston University Medical Campus (BU Medical Campus) and Boston Medical Center (BMC). Before this role, Alyssa worked for four years as a Senior Research Assistant at Boston Medical Center conducting clinical trials on pharmacological treatment of alcohol use disorder. Alyssa obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Connecticut and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree from BU School of Public Health specializing in epidemiology and biostatistics.

Diana Lehman
Administrator
617-358-7383
dlehman@bu.edu

As department administrator, Diana is responsible for budget preparation and financial administration of the OHRA. Prior to joining the OHRA, she worked many years in BU administration in a variety of roles including grants manager, assistant to the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Dean, and assistant to the University President.