Staff Announcement: New HRPP Education and Communication Specialist

Dear Northwestern Research Community,

It is with great pleasure to announce that, effective Monday, April 11th, 2022, Nazneen Ali will assume the role of HRPP (Human Research Protection Program) Education and Communication Specialist, a new position within Northwestern University's IRB Office. 

Nazneen, a valued member of the IRB Office, started her career at Northwestern University in 2019 as a Senior IRB Analyst. In this role, Nazneen coordinated panel meetings, expertly engaged with the research community, and, in addition to other duties, contributed to the development of IRB staff and member training initiatives. Before joining Northwestern, Nazneen held several positions at higher learning institutions. In 2010, Nazneen served as a Teaching Assistant and later transitioned to Instructor within the Teacher Development Program within the Department of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. In 2011, she took on the additional role of Programming and Publicity Coordinator for the University of Missouri, where she overhauled the organization's image and designed and directed professional, service, and social student programming. Nazneen transitioned to research in 2016, where she held dual roles within the Office of Research at the University of Missouri. As a Compliance Specialist within the Conflict-of-Interest Office, Nazneen coordinated the campus and hospital system employees' Outside Interest Disclosures and developed educational guidance on the COI processes. As a representative of the Institutional Review Board office, she provided support to two departments. From 2016-to 2019, Nazneen held the position of IRB Analyst within the Office of Research Support & Compliance at the University of Texas before joining Northwestern.

As the HRPP Education and Communication Specialist, Nazneen will collaborate with the IRB Office leadership team to identify educational and process improvement needs related to the IRB educational programs. She will be responsible for designing and implementing educational programming, developing educational tools, and managing the IRB Office's internal and external communication efforts.  

In addition to her extensive education and human research experience, Nazneen has a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication in Public Relations, a Master of Public Affairs in Organizational Change, and a Philosophy Doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis in Educational Administration. She also further solidified her professional expertise by maintaining her Certified IRB Professional credential since 2019.

We are excited to have Nazneen as the new HRPP Education and Communication Specialist. Please join me in congratulating her!

Warm regards,
Piper

Piper Hawkins-Green, MS, CIP
Associate Director, IRB Compliance and Reliance
Northwestern University
Institutional Review Board Office