Michael P. Caligiuri, Ph.D., UCSD Professor of Psychiatry, has been named the first Director of the Clinical Research Protections (CRESP) Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Health Sciences, effective January 3, 2006.
The appointment was announced by Judith L. Swain, M.D., Director of UCSD’s College of Integrated Life Sciences and Dean for Translational Medicine and David N. Bailey, M.D., Deputy Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Dean, Faculty & Student Matters.
“We are fortunate to have attracted someone of Dr. Caligiuri’s caliber to this significant new position, and I look forward to working with him to make this program a national model,” said Swain.
CRESP is a new program that includes both the Human Research Protections Program, formerly headed by Daniel Masys, M.D., and the Research Compliance Office, formerly directed by Charles Mittman, M.D. The newly position has been created to provide better coordination of the activities of these two closely related programs and will further enhance the protection of people who participate in clinical research trials for new drug therapies and treatments.
Caligiuri is a nationally renowned researcher in neuro-psychiatric movement disorders.
He came to UCSD as a post-doctoral fellow in 1986 after earning his Ph.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin and joined the Division of Geriatric Psychology in 1988. A member of the UC San Diego Institutional Review Board (IRB) since 1997, Caligiuri has served as an IRB Vice Chair since 2004. He is a member the Society for Neuroscience, the International Organization for Brain Research, and the Society of Biological Psychiatry, among other professional organizations, and has published numerous original articles in the field of neuromuscular disorders related to psychiatric disturbances and psychopharmacologic mechanisms.
“Dr. Caligiuri has both the ability and the vision to ensure that UC San Diego Health Sciences continues on the path of excellence established by Dr. Masys.” said Bailey. “By combining research compliance and institutional review board functions under one individual, UCSD underscores its commitment to the highest scientific and ethical standards in clinical research.”
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