August 2026

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For 60 years, the Hennepin Healthcare Institutional Review Board (IRB) has helped ensure research is conducted safely, ethically and with the rights and well-being of participants at the forefront.

Since its beginnings in 1966 as the Research Advisory Committee, the IRB has provided independent oversight for studies that involve people, evolving alongside Hennepin Healthcare’s research enterprise and the growing complexity of human research. Today, the IRB is part of Hennepin Healthcare’s Human Research Protection Program (HRPP).

As the IRB celebrates six decades, it is also welcoming new leadership. Mark Oswood, MD, PhD, has been named IRB chair, with Kerry Sheets, MD, and Tzivia Leviton, RPh, serving as vice chairs.

Since its beginnings in 1966 as the Research Advisory Committee, the IRB has evolved alongside Hennepin Healthcare’s research enterprise and remains a key part of the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP).

Today, a diverse group of physicians, scientists, nonscientists and community representatives helps ensure research is ethical, thoughtful and focused on participant safety. Hennepin Healthcare’s HRPP is accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP), reflecting its commitment to rigorous standards and protecting research participants. As we celebrate six decades of ethical research oversight, the IRB’s mission remains clear: We advance research. We support discovery. Most importantly, we protect people.

Awards & Honors

Dr. Tyler Winkelman jointly awarded a Behavioral Health Seed Grant from the UMN School of Public Health

Division Chief of General Internal Medicine and Co-Director of HHRI's Health, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice (HHCJ) Lab, Tyler Winkelman, MD, MSc, alongside the University of Minnesota's (UMN) School of Public Health Interim Dean and Mayo Professor, Timothy Beebe, PhD, received a $150,000 Behavioral Health Seed Grant from the UMN School of Public Health, funded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

Dr. Winkelman will act as the Principal Investigator of Dr. Beebe's study to explore the "Expansion of the Collaborative Care Model in Rural Minnesota." Phase 1 of this multi-phase project will determine how an evidence-based model integrating mental health care into primary care can be effectively implemented and expanded throughout rural Minnesota. During phase 1 of the project, the study team is partnering with CentraCare in central Minnesota.

Dr. Diana Zychowski Awarded NIH K23 Grant to Investigate Heartland and Bourbon Tick-Borne Viruses

The prevalence of emerging tick-borne viruses (TBVs), such as Heartland (HRTV) and Bourbon viruses (BRBV), may be higher than currently known and can cause severe illness and death. While there’s been an increase in TBVs, there’s been little research into HRTV and BRBV due to lack of knowledge, poor testing methodologies, a lack of clinical specimens for testing, and because they can mimic other bacterial pathogens such as Ehrlichia. 

Infectious disease and tick-borne disease researcher Diana Zychowski, MD, MPH, wants to change this narrative with her recently awarded Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) of $997,800 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. This award will help Dr. Zychowski to study the epidemiology of HRTV and BRBV and their associated viral and host factors from a prospective cohort of patients suspected to have acute tick-borne illness. Additionally, with strong mentorship, she will work towards her long-term career goal of becoming an independent physician-scientist who draws on expertise in applied epidemiology, laboratory science, and viral immunology to identify people at risk for vector-borne viral infections and better understand the factors that drive morbidity.

Please join us to congratulate Dr. Zychowski on this new award!

Restorative Neurotrauma Lab Awarded Craig H. Neilsen Grant

Congratulations to Drs. Elizabeth Bottorff (left photo), David Darrow (center photo), and Samuel Cramer (right photo), of the Restorative Neurotrauma Lab (RNL), who were recently awarded approximately $400,000 from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation for a two-year research project entitled “Advancing Sexual Health in Spinal Cord Injury: Evaluation of Vibratory Genital Nerve Stimulation.” The project began in August 2026 and will explore a novel approach to addressing sexual health challenges experienced by individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI).

The project is one of 29 studies selected for funding through the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation's 2026 SCI research program. Sexual health is often identified as a top priority for people living with SCI because of its impact on health, dignity, daily life, and overall quality of life. This project aims to advance understanding of sexual function after SCI and support the development of new approaches to improve well-being.

Spotlight

Featured: Patients & Community Section on hhrinstitute.org

The Patients & Community pages on HHRI's website is a space for patients and community members wanting to know more about medical research, how to volunteer for a study, and how Hennepin Healthcare protects people participating in clinical research studies. Here, you will find links to many resources such as:

About Medical Research

• Frequently asked questions about clinical research, the study of health and illness in people.

Why Research Matters to Me

• News and information about Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute's research.

Volunteer for a Study

• Information to help you decide if you want to take part in a clinical research study.

Patient Advocacy

• Find out how Hennepin Healthcare protects patients participating in clinical research studies.

Provide Feedback

• Research participants, family members, or others can ask questions or share suggestions, comments, or concerns about research at Hennepin Healthcare.

Useful Links

• Helpful websites, videos, and information about research participation and clinical studies.

Subscribe to Our Monthly Newsletter

• Sign up to receive our monthly HHRI Research Highlights newsletter to stay up to date on news stories, awards, recent publications, recent presentations, and more.

Healthy Aging Through the Senior Years (HATS) Study Reaches Milestone of 300 Participants

The HATS Study, led by Berman Center Principal Investigators Anne Murray, MD, MSc (left photo), and Kerry Sheets, MD (right photo), has reached an important milestone of 300 participants. The study focuses on understanding healthy aging, cognitive health, and factors associated with dementia among African American adults in the Twin Cities who are age 55 and older.

To celebrate this achievement and recognize the invaluable contributions of our participants and their study partners, the HATS Study team will host its annual Participant Appreciation Event on September 9 at the Center for Changing Lives.

The event will be an opportunity for participants and their study partners to come together, celebrate the progress of the study, and learn more about the important work they are helping to advance. Activities will include games and opportunities for social engagement, an educational presentation on dementia and recent advances in dementia research, and an update on the progress and accomplishments of the HATS Study.

The New Prescriptions featured on KARE 11 News

The local Minneapolis band, The New Prescriptions, was interviewed on KARE 11 News about their recent performance at the Dakota's Quinlan Room and raising money for the music therapy program at Hennepin Healthcare. The band, fronted by guitarist Mark Linzer, MD, is mostly comprised of current and former Hennepin Healthcare employees. Music therapy has many uses, such as helping cancer patients and children relax during their treatments.

Recognizing Excellence: Recent Publications

• Hennepin Healthcare investigators Renee Van Siclen, MPP; Wendy Miller, MD, MS; Lucas Zellmer, MD; and Tyler Winkelman, MD, MSc, alongside other researchers, published a new manuscript in Drug and Alcohol Dependence on "Comparison of statewide substance use disorder prevalence estimates from survey data vs electronic health data." The manuscript reveals how the Minnesota Electronic Health Record Consortium (MNEHRC) can provide near real-time estimates on substance use disorder (SUD) data, in comparison to the data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is often lagging behind. MNEHRC data can help expedite real-time SUD interventions.

• Michael Arenson, MD, MS, MA, was published as first author on a scientific commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics entitled, "Reorientating Pediatrics Around Relational Health." The viewpoint debates the validity of using Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) screening as the single source of truth for determining the long-term effects of adversity. Still, developmental science suggests that the mechanisms linking early childhood adversity to long-term outcomes are relational or attachment wounding. With this knowledge in mind, physicians are encouraged to not only identify adversity, but to support the relational processes that buffer the aftermath of adversity.

• Hennepin Healthcare physicians and scientists Fred Apple, PhD, DABCC; Stephen W. Smith, MD; Hannah Brown, PhD; Joshua Miller, PhD, DABCC; Anne Sexter, MPH; Karen Schulz, DC, alongside researchers from Mayo Clinic and Allina Health, published in Clinical Chemistry on "Distinguishing Acute Myocardial Infarction from other Forms of Injury with the Cardiac Troponin Long-T ITC Complex and High-Sensitivity Troponin I and T in Patients with Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome: MERITni Substudy." Researchers found that a new blood biomarker called the long-T ITC complex, especially when combined with high-sensitivity troponin measurements, may help doctors more accurately distinguish a true heart attack from other causes of heart muscle injury in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome.

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