IRB Office

• Harriet Goodman, D.S.W.
  Co-Chair – ‘Amethyst’ Committee
  hgoodman@hunter.cuny.edu  
  Dr. Goodman is an associate professor at the Hunter College School of Social Work where she teaches courses on group work, work with mandated and involuntary clients, administration and foundations of social work practice.  She has a doctorate in Social Work from Graduate Center of the City University of New York. During her twenty-five years in the field, she has worked with the elderly, people with disabilities, terminally ill children, persons with AIDS and people in community corrections. She has worked for the past nine years on a project to bring real-time multi-site distance learning to thousands of New York City human services workers.

• Paul Cascella, Ph.D.
  Co-Chair – ‘Amethyst’ Committee
  paul.cascella@hunter.cuny.edu
  Dr. Cascella is a full professor in the Communication Sciences Program where he teaches courses on research methods, communication and developmental disabilities, augmentative and alternative communication, stuttering and phonology.  He has doctorate in Special Education from The University of Connecticut.  His professional interests include developmental disabilities (autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy); augmentative and alternative communication; stuttering, phonology and transdisciplinary services.
   
• Michael Wood, Ph.D.
  Co-Chair – ‘Gold’ Committee
  mwood@hunter.cuny.edu
  Dr. Wood  is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology where he teaches courses on consumer behavior, research design and methodology, and marketing for nonprofit organizations.  He has doctorate in Sociology from The University of Texas at Austin. His research interests are in the areas of consumer behavior, social change, culture and consumption. Current research projects focus on social and psychological influences on impulse buying, debt and saving.
  
  
• Darrell Wheeler, Ph.D.
  Co-Chair – ‘Gold’ Committee
  dwheeler@hunter.cuny.edu
  Dr. Wheeler is associate dean for research and associate professor at the Hunter College School of Social Work where he teaches courses on community organizing and on research methods.  He has doctorate in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. His overall research agenda focuses on the identification and exploration of individual and communal resiliency in HIV prevention and intervention.
  
  
• Carolynn Julien, M.A.
  IRB Coordinator
  cjulien@hunter.cuny.edu
  Ms. Julien joined the IRB staff in September 1988.  As IRB Coordinator, she manages the day-to-day activities of the two IRB Committees and acts as the liaison between the IRB, College Officials, the Research Foundation, the CUNY Office of Research Conduct and researchers.  She implements operational polices and procedures, oversees the adequacy and qualification of IRB membership and monitors the progress of review by IRB members.  Ms. Julien is a member of Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research / The Applied Research Ethics National Association PRIM&R /ARENA and holds the Certified IRB Professional (CIP) granted by this organization.
  
  
• Amanda Howard, B.A.
  IRB Specialist
  ahowar@hunter.cuny.edu
  Ms. Howard joined the IRB staff in March 2008.  She facilitates the IRB process by interacting with researchers to offer guidance and pre-review of IRB protocols.  Ms. Howard attends the monthly IRB meetings and assists with the minutes of the meeting.
  
  
• Sarah Leon, B.A.
  Administrative Assistant for Regulatory Affairs
  bleon@hunter.cuny.edu
  Ms. Leon joined the IRB staff in March 2006 as a Research Assistant and assumed the role of Administrative Assistant for Regulatory Affairs in May 2009, after graduating from Hunter College.  She is responsible for the layout and design of the IRB Newsletter, preparing and ensuring delivery of IRB meeting materials for IRB members, setup for the monthly IRB meetings.  Ms. Leon also handles calls and questions and performs other IRB administrative functions.
  
  
• Wankairys Decena
  Student Aide 
  Ms. Decena joined the IRB staff in March 2008.  She prepares IRB approval materials, assists with filing, preparation and duplication of documents for monthly IRB meetings and for protocols reviewed by the expedited process.  Ms. Decena assists with essential record-keeping required by the IRB.
  
  
• Milana Levitana
  Student Aide 
  Ms. Levitana joined the IRB staff in May 2009.  She prepares IRB approval materials, assists with filing, preparation and duplication of documents for monthly IRB meetings and for protocols reviewed by the expedited process.  Ms. Levitana assists with essential record-keeping required by the IRB.
  
  
• IRB Members
  There are 35 IRB members.  IRB members are from the following departments/schools: Educational Foundations and Counseling Programs, Nursing, Economics, English, Social Work, Urban Affairs and Planning, Sociology, Psychology, Health Sciences, History, Political Science, English, Special Education, Geography, Urban Public Health, Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Curriculum & Teaching, the Brookdale Center of Healthy Aging and Longevity and the Center for HIV, Educational Studies and Training.  We also have several community members.