By Erica Techo
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Assistant Professor and Director of Research Operations Dina Avery, DHSc, MA, MAEd, is making her mark on a global board with a two-year term that began in September 2021.
Avery is the first African American and first UAB faculty member to be elected to the global board of directors for the Association of Graduate Regulatory Educators. AGRE provides a forum and develops training tools for global regulatory and clinical research professionals who are involved with services related to the development and commercialization of biomedical and pharmaceutical products.
“When I was nominated for this position, I accepted right away because my professional background coincides with the overarching goals of AGRE,” Avery said. “It is always a delight for me to help impact public policies and share lessons learned for those working in the areas of pharmaceutical sciences, clinical trials management and regulatory affairs.”
Through this role, Avery aims to create and share tools that establish best practices in the field while expanding AGRE’s national and international partnerships.
“I want to be instrumental in designing and disseminating innovative tools needed to gain a better understanding in implementing best practices on how to commercialize global biomedical and pharmaceutical products,” she said. “This skill is needed when training students, who want to become regulatory and clinical trial professionals.”
In addition to her appointment in the UAB School of Nursing, Avery is an associate scientist for the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center and was elected chairperson for the Alabama Department of Public Health, Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition in December 2020.
Avery has been a member of AGRE since 2018. In the past, she collaborated on a webinar discussing how to properly conduct clinical trial audits, and she provided a presentation on COVID-19 regulations during AGRE’s annual summit.
To learn more about AGRE, visit agreglobal.org