Division of Transplantation Assistant Professor Rhiannon Deierhoi Reed, DrPH, has been named a member of the UAB Institutional Review Board for Human Use (IRB).

Reed, who will act as a scientific, institutional representative on the board, has long supported the scientific pursuits of both the UAB Department of Surgery and the research institution as a whole. Over the past year, she has also supported the IRB, but was named a member of the board in January 2022.

As a epidemiologist, Reed focuses on long-term care of living kidney donors and transplant caregivers. She has interests in qualitative and mixed methods research, as well as intervention development and implementation, particularly regarding education efforts to increase organ donation awareness and caregiver support.

Reed will support the IRB in its mission, which is to help protect the rights and welfare of human participants in research that is conducted under the umbrella of UAB.

“As we have seen in the past few weeks, research plays a key role in the UAB Division of Transplantation, as well as the Department of Surgery,” said Reed. “I am excited for this opportunity to ensure the protection of our research participants and to help facilitate high quality human subjects research taking place across the institution.”

Reed notes that there is a balance that must exist between pursuing discovery and ensuring the rights and welfare of human research participants.

“While we strive every day to move medicine forward through novel research, we must ensure that we are respecting our participants and their generous contributions to science”said Reed. “Clinical discoveries will continue to be made in compliance and with full transparency, and I look forward to supporting that mission.”