Office of the Institutional Review Board

Supports the IRBs operated by UT Health San Antonio.

The Office of the Institutional Review Board (OIRB) is an administrative support office for the UT Health San Antonio Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). An IRB is a federally-mandated committee that serves to protect the rights and welfare of human research subjects. The IRB reviews all research projects conducted by agents of UT Health San Antonio that involve humans, identifiable data about or biospecimens from living humans prior to the commencement of the research study. The UT Health San Antonio IRBs are accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP)

Services the OIRB provides to researchers include:
  • Assistance with IRB application submissions (including amendments and annual continuing review reports);
  • Guidance regarding FDA regulations and research involving FDA-regulated test articles;
  • Assistance with appropriate reporting of unexpected issues that arise during the execution of human research studies.
Services the IRB Reliance Team provides to researchers include:
  • Adding Relying Sites when using the UT Health San Antonio IRB as a single IRB for a multicenter study
  • Applications for single IRB review when the UT Health SA IRB is not the IRB for all study sites (External IRB Studies);
  • Assistance with training research personnel;
  • Verifying credentialing;
  • Approving Research Scope of Practice for study team members who do not have a locally recognized medical license;
  • Research participant recruitment assistance via the Find A Study website;
  • Assistance with VA Human Research studies

Office Staff

OIRBIRB Reliance Team
Jeannette M. Watterson, PhD

Jeannette M. Watterson, PhD 
Director, Institutional Review Board 
Watterson@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8205

Brandie Otten

Brandie Otten  
IRB Associate Director 
Otten@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8251

Stephanie C. Reyes, BA, CIP 

Stephanie C. Reyes, BA, CIP 
Institutional Regulatory Reviewer 
ReyesS@uthscsa.edu | (210) 450-8315

Patricia Alexander

Patricia Alexander
Research Compliance Coordinator – Sr 
AlexanderP@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8256

Rebecca Rivera, BS, MS 

Rebecca Rivera, BS, MS 
Research Compliance Coordinator - Sr 
RiveraR4@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8248

Alyssa Hernandez

Alyssa Hernandez 
Research Compliance Coordinator - Sr
HernandezA51@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8254

Cecilia A. Hinojosa 

Cecilia A. Hinojosa 
Research Compliance Coordinator - Sr 
HinojosaCA@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8246

Stephen Blake Luis

Stephen Blake Luis
Research Compliance Specialist
LuisS@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8553

Celia Aviles, BS, MPH, CCRC

Celia Aviles, BS, MPH, CCRC
Research Compliance Coordinator - Sr
Aviles@uthscsa.edu | (210) 562-6827

Bhumi Patel

Bhumi Patel
Research Compliance Specialist
PatelB6@uthscsa.edu | (210) 567-8259

Maria Herrera, MSW

Maria Herrera, MSW
Research Compliance Coordinator
HerreraM13@uthscsa.edu | (210) 450-7314