Susan C. Buskirk, DM, MS
Chief Accountability Officer, Vice President, and Institutional Official for Human Subjects Research
Susan Buskirk was promoted to University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) chief accountability officer, vice president, and institutional official for human subjects research in June 2020, after serving as deputy accountability officer since 2014. She also is the vice chair of the UMB President’s Council for Women, co-chaired the President’s Task Force on Sexual Harassment, and is a founding member of the UMBrella Group, which works to support the success of women at the University.
Dr. Buskirk oversees UMB’s Office of Accountability and Compliance (OAC), which, guided by the University’s core values, seeks to foster a transparent culture that promotes accountability and compliance across the organization. OAC also is the home to programs that range from Title IX to research integrity.
Before transitioning to OAC, Dr. Buskirk developed and coordinated a multidisciplinary, Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP)-accredited program for the protection of individuals who participate in research studies, which consists of independent ethical protocol review, education and training of personnel, and oversight of clinical research in the form of monitoring and auditing clinical research studies.
She also is a site visitor for AAHRPP and a former member of the organization’s Council on Accreditation.
Dr. Buskirk has been instrumental in providing international outreach regarding education and training in human research protection. She holds a doctorate in management, a master’s in biotechnology, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and is a certified compliance and ethics professional through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics.
Dr. Buskirk also is an avid horsewoman and lives with her two rescue dogs and husband.