2026 BTAA Responsible Conduct of Research
Collaborative Virtual Conference
 
 
 

Holly Bante, PhD, MPH
Associate Vice President for Research Security and Ethics, Office of Research, University of Cincinnati

Holly A. Bante, PhD, MPH is the Associate Vice President for Research Security and Ethics in the Office of Research at the University of Cincinnati (UC) with oversight of export controls, research information security, conflicts of interest, and the classified research program. She is responsible for implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 requirements. Since 2019, Holly sits on the steering committee for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Forum on Conflicts of Interest and joined the Academic Security and Counter Exploitation executive committee in 2024. Holly holds an adjunct assistant professor position in UC’s College of Medicine where she teaches responsible conduct of research (RCR) to graduate students and biomedical ethics to undergraduate students in the Medical Sciences program. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at Loyola Chicago University and teaches research ethics in Loyola’s Neiswanger Bioethics Institute. Holly received her Ph.D. in Bioethics from Saint Louis University.
 

Joanne Billings, MD, MPH
Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation, University of Minnesota

Joanne Billings, MD, MPH, serves as the University of Minnesota’s interim vice president for research and innovation, overseeing a $1+ billion research enterprise across all campuses and facilities. In this role, she manages units responsible for administration of sponsored projects, research and regulatory compliance, technology commercialization, and corporate engagement, as well as 14 interdisciplinary academic centers and institutes.

Joanne holds a joint appointment between the Research and Innovation Office (RIO) and the Medical School where she serves as associate professor of medicine and as a pulmonologist and critical care physician focusing on the care of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Joanne has been involved in clinical trials in CF for over 20 years.

During this interim appointment, Joanne will continue her clinical practice and engagement in her long-standing research on cystic fibrosis. She will also continue to serve as associate vice president for research integrity and compliance in RIO. Joanne holds a BS in biochemistry from Illinois Benedictine College, an MD from Rush Medical College, and a MPH in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota.
 

J. Patrick Briscoe, JD
Assistant Director of Research Integrity and Compliance, Export Controls and Research Security, University of Minnesota

Pat has been coping with U.S. export controls, economic sanctions, other government regulations in law firms, the defense industry, and academia since last millennium. Nowadays, his responsibilities at the University of Minnesota include export and sanctions compliance, research security program development and operations, and co-managing the office candy bowl. Pat “earned” a B.A. in English and History from the University of New Mexico and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law School. He is a former Chair of the Association of University Export Control Officers and currently plays a 5th-level centaur ranger in family Dungeons and Dragons games.

Stefani Buster, JD
Senior Advisor & (former) Director for Research Security and Export Control, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Stefani Buster, JD, is a research security and regulatory compliance leader with experience designing institutional frameworks that protect sensitive technologies while enabling global research collaboration. As Senior Advisor and former Director for Research Security and Export Control at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, she leads enterprise-wide initiatives to implement risk-based research security strategies, strengthen export control compliance, and align institutional practices with evolving federal mandates such as NSPM-33.

Previously, Stefani helped build and operationalize the research security program at Purdue University and conducted risk-based compliance assurance reviews across the research enterprise at Duke University. Her work has focused on developing governance structures, training programs, and policy frameworks that help universities navigate complex regulatory environments while sustaining high-impact research partnerships.

Stefani has also worked extensively in nuclear policy and nonproliferation, including leadership roles supporting the U.S. Department of Energy-funded initiatives at North Carolina State University and international work with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. This multidisciplinary background, spanning law, international policy, and research administration, shapes her approach to advancing research security and export controls in an increasingly complex global environment.
 

Sandi Caldrone, MS
Research Data Librarian, Assistant Professor, University Library, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Sandi Caldrone is the Research Data Librarian and an Assistant Professor in the Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As part of the Illinois Research Data Service, she teaches data management skills through instruction, educational materials, and the Data Nudge newsletter. Her research focuses on curating historical data and rehabilitating it for practical reuse. Sandi earned her M.S. in Library and Information Science with a focus on data curation from the University of Illinois and holds an M.A. in Anthropology and Women’s Studies from Northern Illinois University.

Lawrence Cappello, PhD
Associate Professor of U.S. Legal & Constitutional History, Director, Legal History Concentration, University of Alabama

Lawrence Cappello is an Associate Professor of U.S. Legal & Constitutional History at the University of Alabama, Co-Director of the University’s AI Teaching Enhancement Initiative, and a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US & CIPM).

He is the author of On Privacy: Twenty Lessons to Live By (Hachette Book Group) and None of Your Damn Business: Privacy in the United States from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age (University of Chicago Press). His work on the right to privacy has appeared in Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Hill, The Economist, and other publications. 

Katherine Chiou, PhD
Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Alabama

Katherine Chiou (PhD, University of California, Berkeley, 2017) is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at The University of Alabama, where she co-directs the AI Teaching Enhancement Initiative and leads interdisciplinary work at the intersection of ethics, education, and emerging technologies. She is Lead PI of the NSF-funded Student Training in Responsible AI Knowledge and Ethics Research (STRAKER) Project, which adapts case-study-based pedagogy to strengthen ethical reasoning, research integrity, and communication skills in undergraduate STEM education. In parallel, Chiou has played a long-standing role in professional ethics training within archaeology, including organizing national ethics initiatives and advising professional organizations on ethical practice. Trained as an archaeologist specializing in ancient foodways, plant domestication, and social inequality in the Americas, she brings lessons gleaned from the past to contemporary questions of responsible research and education.

Elisabeth Conklin
5th Year Neuroscience PhD Candidate, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Elisabeth (Ellie) Conklin is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Working in the lab of Dr. Nathan Schroeder, she investigates the evolution of nervous systems using nematodes as model organisms. In addition to her research, Ellie is currently contributing to the development of an innovative 3D nematode virtual tool designed to advance anatomical study visualization.
 

Alisyn Greenfield, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The Ohio State University

Alisyn Greenfield is a postdoctoral scholar in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at The Ohio State University. Her current and thesis work focuses on the development of artificial blood substitutes for application in transfusion medicine and ex vivo organ preservation technologies. Throughout her graduate and post-graduate career, she has been committed to fostering a research environment that prioritizes integrity, safety, and accountability.  

Deborah Helman, MS
Director of Science & Engineering Library Services, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Deborah Helman is the Director of Science & Engineering Library Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries. She leads a collaborative and forward‑thinking team dedicated to supporting research and learning across the sciences and engineering. Her career has focused on developing services and partnerships that support evolving research workflows and methods of scholarly sharing, designing spaces for both formal and informal learning, and guiding organizations through change.

Previously, Deborah led the Instructional, Media, and Library Services team in UW–Madison’s College of Engineering and served as a librarian at both MIT and Boston University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
 

Alicia Hofelich Mohr, PhD
Research Support Coordinator in the Liberal Arts Technologies and Innovation Services (LATIS), University of Minnesota

Alicia Hofelich Mohr is the Research Data and Support Services Lead in the Liberal Arts Technologies and Innovation Services in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Her work focuses on data management planning, designing reproducible research workflows, handling human participant data, and ethically sharing data. She serves as a curator for social science data and statistical code in the Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM) and is a member of the Libraries' Research Data Services Team. Alicia received a PhD in Psychology and Masters in Statistics from the University of Michigan, where she used experimental, behavioral, and psychophysiological methods to study individual differences in empathy.  

Chris Lehmann, PhD
Research Integrity Officer, University of Illinois

Chris Lehmann serves as the Research Integrity Officer within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He coordinates the University’s Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) education. Chris is the Principal Investigator of a grant from the Office of Research Integrity on Fostering Research Integrity through Effective Education for RCR Program Administrators. He is a member of the Association of Research Integrity Officers (ARIO) where he co-directs ARIO’s RCR Special Interest Group.  

Duhita Mahatmya, PhD
Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology, University of Iowa

Duhita Mahatmya, PhD, is an assistant professor of learning sciences and educational psychology at the University of Iowa. She previously served as associate research scientist in the Grants and Research Services Center in the College of Education at Iowa and taught the Responsible Conduct of Education Research course for graduate students and postdocs. Before joining Iowa, Dr. Mahatmya was an assistant professor of integrative studies at George Mason University. She received her doctorate degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University. Across her roles, she uses an ecological systems lens to examine social, emotional, and behavioral health outcomes across family, school, and community contexts and to engage students in thinking critically about scholarly integrity.  

Eduardo Misawa, PhD
Scientific Integrity Official, National Science Foundation (NSF)

Dr. Eduardo Misawa is NSF’s Scientific Integrity Official (SIO) and Senior Advisor in the Office of the Director at the NSF. He has been with NSF since 2005. Dr. Misawa has been serving as the SIO for NSF since 2021, when this position was formally established, and as a senior advisor since 2019. He has been responsible for the oversight, development and implementation of Scientific Integrity (SI) policies and procedures, as well as day-to-day activities related to SI. In his role, he also advises the NSF’s Director and the Chief Science Officer on SI and related topics such as research integrity, research misconduct, and responsible conduct of research.

Prior to this position, Dr. Misawa held multiple positions as program director, senior advisor and acting deputy division director in different units at NSF. Before his career at NSF, Dr. Misawa had a long academic career as Engineering professor and researcher, with collaborative projects ranging from genomics, biomedical research, to applied research in collaboration with industry.

Dr. Misawa is a member of several professional societies and continues to be active in leadership roles serving the research and education community.

Heather Mc Fadden, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Mc Fadden is a Compliance Manager at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She has a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in Higher Education, with over 15 years of expertise in research integrity. She has developed federally responsive Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) curricula, led policy analysis and implementation, and collaborated with peer institutions to strengthen national understanding of Responsible Conduct of Research. She contributes actively to the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) RCR Collaborative, the ARIO RCR interest Group, and the Online Ethics Center’s (OEC- SEAFRI) Community of Practice advancing best practices in RCR education. 
  

Jamie Mohler, PhD
Associate Vice President for Scientific Integrity and Research Compliance, Research Integrity Officer, Professor, Purdue University

Dr. Jamie Mohler is Associate Vice President of Research Integrity, Compliance and Care, Research Integrity Officer (RIO) and professor in the School of Applied and Creative Computing at Purdue University. In his current role, Dr. Mohler provides executive leadership and coordination for the integrity, compliance and care units that support, enable and safeguard research.  
 

Kristen Pecanac, PhD, RN
Associate Professor, Helen Denne Schulte Professor of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Pecanac is Associate Professor and Helen Denne Schulte Professor of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Dr. Pecanac’s research explores interactions among health care practitioners, patients, and family members when making treatment decisions in the hospital. Dr. Pecanac also teaches an interdisciplinary RCR course at the University of Wisconsin. 
 

Lisa Rasmussen, PhD
Professor of Philosophy & Graduate Director, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Dr. Rasmussen is Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She is Editor-in-Chief of Accountability in Research and Co-Editor of the book series Philosophy and Medicine (Springer). She has been PI or Co-PI on over $1 million in NSF grants, including a 5-year grant currently underway on authorship ethics.

One of Dr. Rasmussen’s main research and teaching areas is research ethics. She is presently working on a book on unregulated human subject research, motivated by her recent work in citizen science and DIY Bio.
 

Celeste Sheftel, PhD
Research Integrity and Compliance Manager, University of Minnesota

Dr. Celeste Sheftel is the Research Integrity and Compliance Manager at the University of Minnesota (UMN), where she oversees research integrity education initiatives, training, and outreach. She earned her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and, following her doctoral training, joined the UMN IACUC team as a Compliance Specialist. With a background spanning both biomedical sciences and research compliance, she brings a practical, researcher-focused perspective to issues of ethics, integrity, and compliance in the research enterprise.
 

Kory Trott, JD, MPH
Director of Research Integrity, University of Chicago

Kory Trott is the Director of Research Integrity at the University of Chicago. A position he assumed in August 2025. In addition to serving as the University’s research integrity officer, he leads strategic initiatives to support ethical research and innovation. Before joining the University of Chicago, Kory was the Director of Research Ethics and Compliance at the University of Alabama. His earlier career includes roles at Virginia Tech, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the University of Wisconsin. Kory’s professional service involves roles on the Editorial Board for Accountability in Research and the National Cancer Institute’s Late Phase Emphasis Institutional Review Board. He holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin, a Master of Public Health from Drexel University, and a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University.

Amy Weber, MA
Senior Director of the Export Control & International Compliance Office, Northwestern University

Amy Weber is Northwestern University’s Senior Director of the Export Control & International Compliance office, which includes leading the university’s Research Security and Export Control Programs. Amy served as a career analyst with the FBI, leading the FBI’s Counterintelligence Analysis Section in Washington, D.C. Amy serves on the ASCE Executive Board and the Federal Development Partnership Research Security sub-committee. She is also active in the BIG 10 Research Security Working Group, the Central Midwest Research Security Forum as well as the Association of University Export Control Officers. Before joining the FBI, Amy was a litigation/jury consultant and worked in market research for a Fortune 500 financial services company. She holds a Master of Legal Studies degree from the University of Arizona.
 

Jandy Hanna, PhD, JD
Research Integrity Officer, The Ohio State University

Dr. Hanna achieved her PhD in biological anthropology and anatomy from Duke university and subsequently taught gross anatomy at a stand-alone medical school for 16 years. During that time, her research focused on the biomechanics of movement in primates (including humans). Because of the nature of her research, she spent a lot of time working with the IRB and IACUC. After becoming more involved with the IRB and serving as the Chair, became the Chair of the Biomedical Sciences department at the medical school, and eventually the Associate Dean for Research and Sponsored Programs. She started law school during that time period and sought a position in administration at a research intensive institution. Now, she serves as one of the RIOs at The Ohio State University.
 

Cecon Mahapatra, PhD
Lead Compliance Officer, Purdue University

Cecon Mahapatra is the Lead Compliance Officer in the Office of Research at Purdue University, with responsibilities in research related Conflict of Interest (COI) management and Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) education programs. She has more than 21 years of experience across academia and research administration, including over nine years in research compliance. She holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (affiliated with Utkal University), India, and completed postdoctoral training in Molecular Neurogenetics at Purdue University and the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Before moving into research administration, she worked as a Research Scientist at Purdue University, where she conducted research, taught, and mentored students in molecular biology and environmental health sciences.

Anthony McCoy, MA
Associate Research Integrity Officer, The Ohio State University

Anthony McCoy is a Biological Scientist and Bioethicist currently serving as an Associate Research Integrity Officer at The Ohio State University. He holds a Master’s of Arts in Bioethics and dual Bachelor's degrees in Molecular Genetics and Music from Ohio State. With over 15 years of research experience, Anthony previously has served in various laboratory supervisor and management roles, with a focus on nucleic acid research.  

Jessica Price, JD
Special Counsel and Assistant Vice President for Research Integrity, University of Oregon

Jessica Price is Special Counsel and Assistant Vice President for Research Integrity for the University of Oregon. She oversees institutional compliance involving research security, conflicts of interest, export controls, animal welfare, human subjects research, research misconduct, and the responsible and ethical conduct of research. Jessica has been the recipient of the UO Senate’s Shared Governance, Transparency, and Trust Award. Outside of UO, Jessica recently served as Chair of the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs, Chair of the Oregon State Bar’s Legal Ethics Committee, and the Eugene Chamber of Commerce recently named her Woman Business Leader of the Year. She has spoken multiple times to national audiences on matters including on ethics, tech transfer, and artificial intelligence. Jessica graduated from Yale College with Honors and from Harvard Law School.
 

Lauran Qualkenbush
Senior Director, Research Integrity and Training, and Research Integrity Officer

Lauran Qualkenbush is Northwestern University’s Senior Director, Research Integrity and Training and Research Integrity Officer. She is responsible for and involved in Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research education and coordination and she oversees Research Integrity, handling research misconduct and other research non-compliance. She has been engaged in research integrity for over 20 years. Lauran previously worked as a clinical research coordinator and in Northwestern’s IRB Office. She is a founding member and current Vice President of the Association of Research Integrity Officers. She has been a teaching RIO for HHS ORI boot camps and served on ORI and NSF grant reviews.
 

Danielle Rintala, MS, RBP (ABSA)
Director of Research Integrity and Compliance, Interim Research Integrity Officer

Danielle Rintala is the Research Integrity and Compliance Director at the University of Minnesota. Danielle directs the Research Integrity and Compliance (RIC) team in the Research and Innovation Office. Danielle is responsible for providing leadership to the Responsible Conduct of Research Education Program, Certified Approver Program, Research Security, Export Controls, research integrity and ethics affairs, addressing research compliance issues, and supporting research misconduct reviews as the assistant research integrity officer. Prior to joining UMN, Danielle was the associate director of research compliance and biosafety officer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she developed and managed the biosafety program. She was also responsible for the oversight of human subjects research, animal research, and radiation safety. Prior to research compliance, Danielle was an instructor and program director for 10 years in higher education, with teaching experience in microbiology, anatomy & physiology, biochemistry, and pathophysiology. She is a current PhD student in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development - Higher Education.
 

Julie Simpson, PhD
Director of Research Integrity Services (RIS), University of New Hampshire

Julie Simpson, PhD, is the Director of Research Integrity Services (RIS) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and an Affiliate Assistant Professor of College Teaching and of Education. RIS administers UNH’s human subjects protections and the IRB, humane care and use of animals and the IACUC, and RCR program and RCR Committee, as well as UNH’s financial conflict of interest in research and HIPAA programs. Julie is UNH’s Research Integrity Officer (RIO). She co-developed and co-teaches UNH’s GRAD 930: Ethics in Research and Scholarship, a cross-disciplinary graduate seminar that has been offered since 2005. Julie is the Fellow for the Online Ethics Center’s (OEC) Scholars, Educators, and Administrators Fostering Research Integrity (SEAFRI) Community of Practice (CoP). 

Kevin Zihlman, MA
Associate Director of Research Integrity and Security, University of Iowa

Kevin Zihlman is the Associate Director of Research Integrity and Security at the University of Iowa. Kevin joined the UI Research Integrity and Security Office in June of 2024 after a career in higher education compliance administration that spanned over twenty years at three different institutions (University of Iowa, Drake University, and Cal State University-Northridge). Kevin assists with managing the UI’s Responsible Conduct of Research program for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and select faculty, including actively teaching in-person classes on Research Misconduct and Research Security.

Kevin has also been an adjunct instructor at the University of Iowa for the past 11 years and has served in various roles as part of the UI’s Shared Governance system, including a year as the UI Staff Council President.