UB names Michelle A. Van Gheem director of research compliance

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Michelle A. Van Gheem, research compliance and compliance manager of GE Healthcare, General Electric Co. in Wauwatosa, Wis., has been named director of research compliance at the University at Buffalo.

The announcement was made by Alexander Cartwright, UB vice president for research and economic development.

Cartwright said that Van Gheem’s expertise and experience stood out amid an exceptionally talented group of candidates during a national search.

“Michelle Van Gheem distinguished herself as knowledgeable across a wide spectrum of compliance regulations, including having familiarity with externally-sponsored research activities that involved a range of federal, state and private grant-making programs,” said Cartwright. “I feel confident that she will guide UB through the regulations related to the university’s research, which will also include the responsibility for education and training programs as they relate to sponsored research activities.”

The director of research compliance — a new position at UB — will provide university-wide management and administration of all aspects of compliance policies as they relate to UB’s research activities. In order to best serve the research community, and to ensure that best practices in research compliance are followed, the Office of Research Compliance was formed for dedicated leadership of these functions.   

The office will have oversight of the following policies and programs: responsible conduct of research, intellectual and creative activity; export controls; financial conflicts of interest; and research subjects’ protection (human subjects and animal subjects).

In addition, the seven current full-time staff — supporting all of the research compliance functions — will collocate in one office area at the Clinical and Translational Research Center on UB’s downtown campus. This will better leverage existing staff and resources to increase efficiencies and improve customer service to the UB research community.

Van Gheem will be directly responsible for day-to-day operations and work collaboratively with the Department of Environmental Health and Safety in the management of a number of laboratory safety programs.

The university currently has more than 1,100 active research projects. Van Gheem will ensure research compliance committee transparency for all projects with an emphasis on inter-committee communication. She will also serve as the primary liaison with federal and other regulatory agencies.

Van Gheem comes to UB with more than 15 years of progressive research compliance experience in higher education and the private sector.

In her most recent position at GE Healthcare, Van Gheem has been responsible for global research and commercial compliance oversight for GE Healthcare Systems and its $12 billion medical device business. In her role as chief research compliance officer, she developed expertise in privacy, anti-kickback, investigations and training. She also developed a keen understanding of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Technology for Economical Clinical Health Act (HITECH), and international privacy auditing and monitoring.

Van Gheem spoke enthusiastically about her appointment and about coming to UB.

“I am excited to join the UB community and have the opportunity to work with a talented team in building on the existing comprehensive and efficient research compliance services for UB faculty, students and administrators.”

Prior to GE, Van Gheem held appointments at Covenant Healthcare System Inc. in Milwaukee, Wis. as regional director of research management, and at Marquette University, also in Milwaukee, as director of the Office of Research Compliance.

Van Gheem received her bachelor of arts in international relations, Eastern European studies and Russian language from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.