Colleen Karlo
Executive Director of Regulatory Compliance Committees, Office of Research Administration, Office of Research and Technology Management
Area of Focus: research regulatory compliance and biosafety
Through education and collaboration, Colleen Karlo equips investigators with the resources needed to conduct their research in a way that best protects humans, plants and animals.
As executive director of regulatory compliance committees, Karlo helps ensure research projects are in line with federal biosafety requirements, but her approach is about more than regulations.
“Beyond being a requirement for funding, the institution has a responsibility to the research at CWRU and the community at large to protect them from potential hazards that research might entail,” Karlo said. “CWRU’s initiative to expand and invest in research that can have the greatest impact on the world must be balanced with the duty to conduct the research ethically, responsibly and safely.
She oversees three regulatory committees at CWRU: the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), the Institutional Review Entity (IRE) for Dual Use Research of Concern and the Human Stem Cell Research Oversight (HSCRO) Committee.
Karlo is always looking for more faculty and volunteers to serve on committees. While many of these roles require individuals to have specific expertise, others outside of the specialty bring a perspective of a non-scientist or a local community member. The Office of Research and Technology Management offers training, and time requirements vary by committee. IBC meets monthly, while IRE and HSCRO meet on an ad hoc basis.
The committees are just one aspect of the biosafety program at CWRU. Karlo maintains connections across campus and meets regularly with Environmental Health and Safety as well as staff at the School of Medicine that support the BSL3 facility, the Animal Resource Center (ARC) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to facilitate discussions of risk assessments, biosafety procedures and best practices.
Before joining the ORTM staff, Karlo spent 20 years conducting research and overseeing general lab operations in the Department of Neurosciences at CWRU. The experience means she understands the technical aspects of the research and appreciates the pace and flow of the work.
“Having worked at the bench for 20 years, I intrinsically love research—the questions that are being asked and the approach to find answers to these questions continuously remind me how smart and creative the researchers are at CWRU,” Karlo said. “I am grateful for my role, which allows me to interact with dedicated and intelligent faculty and staff that serve on the compliance committees, as well as the researchers who are dedicated to pursuit of knowledge in an effort to improve the world around us.”