Each country is unique: An interview with Delia Wolf

by Avery Avrakotos, education and policy manager

This month, in honor of Member Appreciation Month, we will introduce you to a new member of the PRIM&R community each week. To start off this series, it is my pleasure to introduce you to PRIM&R member Delia Y. Wolf, MD, JD, MSCI.

Dr. Wolf serves as program director for Ethical Issues in Global Health Research: Blending Cultures, Building Capacity, and Bolstering Collaboration, a four-day course being offered at Harvard School of Public Health this June in Boston, MA. PRIM&R is a proud to offer members a discount on this educational opportunity, which strives to provide individuals involved with human subjects research with the ability to effectively conduct research outside of the United States. In advance of the course, I had an opportunity to connect with Dr. Wolf about her background in the field as well as some of the challenges presented by global health research.

AA: How and when did you first enter the field of human research protections?

DW: I first stepped into the clinical research field as an investigator conducting FDA-regulated device trials in the late 1990s. As a diligent, yet regulatory naïve investigator, I spent a considerable amount of time addressing concerns and answering questions from the IRB. I felt my chance of getting IRB approval was hit-or-miss, so I decided to invest some time and energy in studying relevant regulations and their application. In 1999, I completed a master’s degree in clinical investigation, and became chair for one of the IRBs at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.