Mindy Reeter is the director of the Office of Human Research Oversight at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. In this position, she manages a community Institutional Review Board (IRB), which assesses research protocols and assures that medical trials meet the highest in research standards and patient safety while making sure that area patients have access to the latest in therapy and technology. Her leadership has ensured that the board follows all of the many rules and regulations that are essential to good research. She also serves as the school’s human protections administrator and liaison in the case of routine inspections by the FDA.
Under Reeter’s leadership, the IRB has grown to 558 active projects involving more than 2,500 different reviews, and she guided the board through a conversion to an electronic research protocol submission process, which has saved many hours of work and acres of trees. Reeter was the conference chair of “The Intersection of Regulation and Innovation,” a nationally recognized educational symposium that was held in Peoria and featured attendees from across the country.
Reeter has served as a mentor to many junior investigators, helping them pursue their research and gain IRB approval for their studies. With the support from a grant secured by the UICOMP Department of Surgery, she helped create a resident rotation through the OHRO to expose tomorrow’s doctors to the ethics of human subject research.
Reeter was chosen to serve as the Peoria representative for the Administrative Professionals Advisory Committee at UIC and the Peoria campus representative for UIC in the consortium of Big Ten universities for IRB administrators. She was named a Certified IRB Professional through the Applied Research Ethics National Association.
In addition to her leadership in the workplace, Reeter is actively involved at Northwoods Community Church and serves as a room mother for her three children at Concordia Lutheran School. She is a member of the Junior League of Peoria and recently joined the MS Society, hoping to serve an active role as a volunteer and advocate for its Illinois chapter. She has volunteered with the Girl Scouts in the past and will continue her service with the Boy Scouts as her son joins the pack. iBi
