Sarah Mumford Named Director of the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects
Compliance expert to lead federally mandated review of human subject research
September 29, 2022
Sarah Mumford has been named Director of the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, pending approval from the Board of Trustees. Her first day is October 3rd.
With a background in medical devices, Mumford has spent nearly 20 years in FDA-regulated organizations before joining Illinois. She most recently served as Associate Director of the Institutional Review Board at the University of Utah, and in that role, she oversaw a staff of 24 employees and 7,000 active protocols.
“Human research subjects protection is a very complex area, and Sarah’s background, knowledge, and collaborative style make her a wonderful fit to lead both the OPRS team and our IRBs,” said Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Jan Novakofski. “Sarah has a national reputation for her FDA expertise, and we are fortunate to have someone of her caliber as director.”
OPRS supports the federally mandated review of human subject research by our two IRBs (one focused on biomedical research and one focused on social and behavioral research) which together review approximately 2,500 protocols a year. Among other priorities, Mumford will oversee the implementation of an electronic protocol system, part of ongoing efforts to improve and modernize the infrastructure that supports planned future growth in campus research.
“Human research subjects protection is a very complex area, and Sarah’s background, knowledge, and collaborative style make her a wonderful fit to lead both the OPRS team and our IRBs.”
—Jan Novakofski, Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation
“With strong growth in the university’s biomedical research portfolio and campus investments in the programs and services that support this work, I can’t think of a better time to be a part of the human subject research community at Illinois,” Mumford said. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with the OPRS team and with investigators to advance best practice in the field—and ultimately, help them achieve their research goals.”
During the search for a new OPRS director, Patty Jones, the Associate Director for Research at the Beckman Institute, served as interim director.
“It’s been my honor and pleasure to be the interim director of OPRS for the past six months," said Jones. "The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and hard-working, and we are looking forward to Sarah’s leadership to take us to the next level.”
Jones was instrumental leading the office through the time of transition. “She stepped up to minimize disruptions for our researchers, in her trademark upbeat and positive way," said Novakofski. "The campus research community is so grateful to Patty!”