Staff Directory

Shaunagh Browning, DNP, RN, CRN-BC, serves as the Senior Director for the Office of Human Subject Protections at Georgetown University. She is responsible for the ethical and regulatory oversight of the organization’s program for protecting human subjects in research. As such, she oversees the planning, direction, and execution of all activities related to the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and the quality assurance and quality improvement initiatives necessary to improve compliance with regulatory requirements. Shaunagh’s work in clinical research at Georgetown began as a study coordinator in 1990. Since then, she has coordinated numerous clinical research, provided clinical care to research participants as a nurse practitioner, managed the federally funded clinical research unit at Georgetown University, and assisted many investigators in the implementation of their clinical research projects.

Additionally, Shaunagh is a founding member of The International Association of Clinical Research Nurses (IACRN) and a key author of the “Scope and Standards of Practice for Clinical Research Nurses.” She teaches internationally on the conduct and administration of clinical research. Shaunagh received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from George Mason University and her Master of Science, with a focus as a Nurse Practitioner, and her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Georgetown University. Shaunagh’s work has centered on the role of the clinical research coordinator, with emphasis on the clinical research nurse and education of staff and scientists with the goal of research quality and efficiency.

Leslie West serves as the Operations Analyst for the Office of Human Subject Protections (OHSP) at Georgetown University. Leslie joined the GU IRB in January of 2020 as an IRB analyst prior to moving to the Operations Analyst role in February of 2023. As the Operations Analyst, Leslie supports the administrative and operational functions necessary to ensure overall operational efficiency of the OHSP. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Western Governors University in April of 2023. Leslie’s journey into the field of research ethics began in 2004 when she joined WGC [formally Western Institutional Review Board (WIRB)] as a consent form specialist preparing consent forms for board review to ensure compliance with regulations and company policies.

Chris serves as the Senior IRB and Reliance Coordinator for the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Chris joined the IRB as a coordinator in 2022 and has since moved to a senior role in 2023. His role includes the direct management of research utilizing an external IRB. In addition, he provides regulatory support and contributes to develop novel IRB policy and guidance. Chris received his MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2022, his JD from Boston University School of Law in 2020, and his BS in Microbiology from the University of Rochester in 2016.

Nicolas Brown serves as an IRB analyst for Georgetown University’s Institutional Review Board and as the primary coordinator for the Social-Behavioral IRB committee. Nicolas studied writing, literature, and film at the University of Rochester, graduating with a BA in 2016 and an MA in 2019. Before moving to the IRB, Nicolas worked in regulations for the protection of controlled information.

Hina Khawar serves as an IRB Analyst for Georgetown University’s Institutional Review Board. She joined the IRB in May 2023 and is primarily involved in the Oncology Committee (D). She is responsible for arranging and coordinating the full board meetings for Committee D and also provides support to the other committees. Hina has an M.B.B.S. from Baqai Medical University in Pakistan and has previously worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator and a Data Coordinator at Georgetown University.

Irene Alvarez-Mendoza serves as an IRB Analyst for Georgetown University’s Institutional Review Board. She joined the IRB in September 2023 and provides support to the IRB committees/ is primarily involved in supporting the Biomedical Committee (AB). Irene has a B.S. in Chemistry, B.A in Spanish and a M.S. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Arizona and has previously worked in Environmental Health and Safety at Arizona State University.

Naomi Skarsgard serves as an Institutional Review Board (IRB) Analyst for the Georgetown University IRB and is the primary coordinator for the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science board. Naomi graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2014 with a BA in Psychology and earned a MS degree in General/Experimental Psychology from Western Washington University in 2016. Prior to starting her work in support of IRBs in July 2022, Naomi worked for an inpatient drug rehab unit, coordinated social/behavioral research at the University of Minnesota and served The American Psychological Association as a Peer Review Coordinator for the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science.

Neha Mookuparambil serves as a senior auditor for the Office of Research Quality Assurance (ORQA). Neha joined the ORQA team in 2019 as a DSMC Coordinator and later transitioned to an auditor role in 2021. She is responsible for leading and conducting routine and directed audits at Georgetown University. She also provides quality assurance support and education to various clinical research teams. In addition, she contributes to develop new and refine existing quality assurance processes. Neha graduated with an MS in Biotechnology from Georgetown University in 2019 and PharmD from Bharati Vidyapeeth University, India, in 2018.

Sara Matar serves as a Quality Assurance Auditor for the Office of Research Quality Assurance (ORQA). She joined ORQA in September 2023 and is responsible for conducting internal audits of clinical investigations at Georgetown University. She also extends quality assurance support to various clinical research teams within the institution. Sara graduated with a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Penn State University in 2018 and is currently a part-time MBA student at Georgetown University expected to graduate in 2025. She previously worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator and a Data Analyst at the Neurology Department at Georgetown University in 2018.

Mauricio Lizama serves as an auditor for the Office of Research Quality Assurance (ORQA). He also serves as the coordinator for the Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) at Georgetown University. Mauricio joined the ORQA team in 2022. His role includes coordinating multiple clinical research teams to work together to produce reports that are periodically reviewed and presented to the DSMC for study monitoring. Mauricio graduated with an MS in Biotechnology from Georgetown University in 2020 and in 2017 from Washington Adventist University with a BS in Clinical Laboratory Science.