Dan Nelson

Trained in medical physiology, Nelson previously held faculty appointments at the Mayo Clinic, with a fellowship conducting human studies in Europe; and the University of Rochester, where he was director of research in a clinical gastroenterology unit and chair of a hospital Institutional Review Board (IRB). His move to UNC-Chapel Hill in 1998 represented a fulltime commitment to research ethics, and he now has global oversight responsibility for 8 IRBs and approximately 4000 research studies.

A national leader in the field of human research protections, Nelson is past-president of the Applied Research Ethics National Association (ARENA), consultant to the federal Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), council member of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), founding member of the Council for Certification of IRB Professionals (CCIP), and served as a liaison to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC). He was recently appointed co-chair of a federal subcommittee of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection (SACHRP, DHHS), charged to review and make recommendations on the regulations that govern this area. Nelson is also a co-investigator on several NIH grants on issues surrounding research ethics, and frequently lectures on related topics.




				Trained in medical physiology, Nelson previously held faculty appointments at the Mayo Clinic, with a fellowship conducting human studies in Europe; and the University of Rochester, where he was director of research in a clinical gastroenterology unit and chair of a hospital Institutional Review Board (IRB). His move to UNC-Chapel Hill in 1998 represented a fulltime commitment to research ethics, and he now has global oversight responsibility for 8 IRBs and approximately 4000 research studies. A national leader in the field of human research protections, Nelson is past-president of the Applied Research Ethics National Association (ARENA), consultant to the federal Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), council member of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), founding member of the Council for Certification of IRB Professionals (CCIP), and served as a liaison to the National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC). He was recently appointed co-chair of a federal subcommittee of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection (SACHRP, DHHS), charged to review and make recommendations on the regulations that govern this area. Nelson is also a co-investigator on several NIH grants on issues surrounding research ethics, and frequently lectures on related topics. Selected publications: Henderson GE, Easter MM, Zimmer C, King NM, Davis AM, Rothschild BB, Churchill LR, Wilfond BS, Nelson DK. (2006) Therapeutic misconception in early phase gene transfer trials. Soc Sci Med. 62:239-53. Lynn MR, Nelson DK. (2005) Common (mis)perceptions about IRB review of human subjects research. Nurs Sci Q. 18:264-70. King NM, Henderson GE, Churchill LR, Davis AM, Hull SC, Nelson DK, Parham-Vetter PC, Rothschild BB, Easter MM, Wilfond BS. (2005) Consent forms and the therapeutic misconception: the example of gene transfer research. IRB. 27:1-8. Henderson GE, Davis AM, King NMP, Easter ME, Zimmer CR, Rothschild BB, Wilfond BS, Nelson DK, Churchill LR. (2004) Uncertain benefit: investigators' views and communications in early phase gene transfer trials. Mol Ther 10:225-231. Churchill LR, Nelson DK, Henderson GE, King, NMP, Davis AM, Leahey E, Wilfond BS. (2003) Assessing benefits in clinical research: why diversity in benefit assessment can be risky. IRB 25:1-8. Califf RM, Morse MA, Wittes J, Goodman SN, Nelson DK, DeMets D, Iafrate RP and Sugarman J. (2003) Toward protecting the safety of participants in clinical trials. Control Clin Trials 24:256-271. back to top


	contact information: [phone] (919) 966-1344 [email]