Speakers and Panelists

Susan Fish is Professor in the Department of Medical Sciences & Education at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine where she lectures on biomedical research design and conduct, and in research ethics. Dr. Fish received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota and her Masters of Public Health from Boston University, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences and a Bachelor's Degree in chemistry and education from the University of Massachusetts.

Dr. Fish has been a medical researcher for more than 40 years, primarily in the fields of clinical toxicology and emergency medicine. She has also been involved in research ethics for almost as long. In a variety of forums, Dr. Fish lectures on the design, conduct, and management of clinical trials, as well as research ethics and protection of human research subjects. She teaches courses at the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine, and is frequently an invited speaker nationally and internationally. In addition, she has consulted with a variety of human research protection programs at universities, community hospitals, academic medical centers, and specialty hospitals.

Dr. Fish previously held positions as Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, as well as Director of the MA in Clinical Investigation program at Boston University School of Medicine, Director of Human Subjects Protection and Associate Director of the Office of Clinical Research at Boston University Medical Center (BUMC),  Director of the BUMC Institutional Review Board  and Director of Research Participant Safety at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University School of Medicine. She has also served as Director of Regulatory Affairs at CareStat, Inc, (a contract research organization) and as Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Boston City Hospital/Boston Medical Center and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. Prior to that, she was Associate Director of the Massachusetts Poison Control System and Associate Professor at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences.

Tonya Ferraro is AAHRPP’s Accreditation Policy Analyst and a former Site Visitor. Prior to joining AAHRPP, she held senior-level roles in quality assurance/quality improvement and IRB administration at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard University. Earlier in her career, she served as a Research Project Manager at the University of Vermont’s Health Behavior Research Center, where she developed technologies to enhance patient engagement. Tonya co-chaired PRIM&R’s (Public Responsibility in Medicine & Research) Social, Behavioral, and Educational Research (SBER) Conference in 2023 and 2025, and she is part of PRIM&R’s Education Advisory Group. She has also contributed to several of PRIM&R’s conference planning committees and served on its Diversity Advisory Group. Through Harvard Catalyst, she is a member of the Emerging Technologies, Ethics & Research, and QA/QI subcommittees. In addition to her professional roles, Tonya has been a board member of Boston Korean Adoptees, Inc. During her tenure, she created a national research-literacy program developed by and for adoptees. For this initiative, she received the Boston Children’s Hospital Employee Community Volunteer Award. Tonya holds a BA in Studio Art (Sculpture) from Northeastern University and an interdisciplinary MEd in Research Methodology from the University of Vermont. She also completed a Bioethics Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. With a background spanning the arts, research ethics, and innovative technology implementation, she brings a creative and interdisciplinary perspective to research oversight and education.