Agenda: 2026 ARIO National Conference

Tuesday, September 29, 2026
12:00 PM - 12:05 PM (EDT)	Welcome and Introduction Janet Leppala, Eastern Michigan University
12:05 PM - 12:50 PM (EDT)	Keynote Session: Developing a Culture of Compliance as Colleagues, Not Cops Sheryl Vacca RN, MS, CCEP-F, CCEP-I, CHC-F, CHPC, Vacca Consulting LLC Moderator: Janet Leppala, Eastern Michigan University
12:50 PM - 1:00 PM (EDT)	Break
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM (EDT)	Plenary Session: Applying the Keynote: Real‑World Strategies for Trust‑Based Compliance Ryan Meade, University of Oxford Ms. Naomi Schrag, Columbia University in the City of New York Sheryl Vacca RN, MS, CCEP-F, CCEP-I, CHC-F, CHPC, Vacca Consulting LLC Moderator: Janet Leppala, Eastern Michigan University
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM (EDT)	Breakout A: Building Integrity Culture by Design: Hiring, Onboarding, and Developing Research Integrity Professionals with Transferable Skills Dr. Bridget Carruthers, The Ohio State University Courtney Karmelita, ARIO Assistant Secretary, The Pennsylvania State University Moderator: Leslie Albers, Indiana University	Breakout B: Done Wrong–Gotta Pay: Research Non-compliance and Research Misconduct and Possible Sponsor Pay-Back John Baumann, University of CA San Diego
2:30 PM - 2:40 PM (EDT)	Break
2:40 PM - 3:25 PM (EDT)	Plenary Session: Lobbying, Legislation and Litigation: Oh My! The External Drivers of Change in Research Integrity Minal Caron, Ropes & Gray LLP Phillip Harman, University of California System Marta Thomson, Akin Moderator: Saiqa Anne Qureshi, University of California Berkeley
3:25 PM - 4:10 PM (EDT)	Breakout A: The Costs of Research Misconduct Kristin West, COGR Moderator: Michelle Benson, Hackensack Meridian Health	Breakout B: Hidden in Plain Sight: USDA Capacity Funds and the Reach of 2 CFR Part 422 Courtney Karmelita, ARIO Assistant Secretary, The Pennsylvania State University Jamie Mohler, ARIO Vice President, Purdue University Moderator: Mary Duarte Millsaps, North Carolina State University
4:10 PM - 4:20 PM (EDT)	Break
4:20 PM - 5:30 PM (EDT)	Trivia
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
12:00 PM - 12:05 PM (EDT)	Day 2 Welcome Ms Mary Millsaps, North Carolina State University
12:05 PM - 12:50 PM (EDT)	Plenary Session: Building Culture While Guarding Process Courtney Karmelita, ARIO Assistant Secretary, The Pennsylvania State University Moderator: Saiqa Anne Qureshi, University of California Berkeley
12:50 PM - 12:55 PM (EDT)	Sponsor Session: Proofig AI - An Introduction to Octym
12:55 PM - 1:05 PM (EDT)	Break
1:05 PM - 2:05 PM (EDT)	Plenary Session: Timely Record Corrections, Trusted Records: Best Practices for Institution-Publisher Collaboration Following Research Misconduct Findings Charlotte Brocklesby, Springer Nature Angela Welch, Research Integrity & Publishing Ethics, Elsevier Moderator: Dusty Layton, University of South Alabama
2:05 PM - 2:15 PM (EDT)	Break
2:15 PM - 3:15 PM (EDT)	Breakout A: Assessing and Communicating Institutional Risk: Methods for Evaluating Risk and Effectively Communicating with Key Stakeholders Jake Earl, Georgetown University Kaley Klanica, University of Minnesota Andrew Read, Penn State Jane Strasser, University of Cincinnati Moderator: Leslie Albers, Indiana University	Breakout B: The PI Program: Lessons learned from a program that remediates research compliance and integrity violations James DuBois, Washington University in St. Louis Moderator: Maria Palazuelos Jorganes, Temple University
3:15 PM - 3:25 PM (EDT)	Break
3:25 PM - 4:10 PM (EDT)	Plenary Session: The Use of Enterprise AI Programs to Help Streamline and Reduce the Burden of Research Misconduct Proceedings Brooke Mangiarelli, Epstein Becker Green Kate Gallin, Epstein Becker Green Moderator: Mary Duarte Millsaps, North Carolina State University
4:10 PM - 4:20 PM (EDT)	Break
4:20 PM - 5:00 PM (EDT)	Ask a RIO: Open Q&A with Experienced Research Integrity Officers Cassandra Farley, University of Florida Courtney Karmelita, ARIO Assistant Secretary, The Pennsylvania State University Lauran Qualkenbush, Northwestern University Moderator: Janet Leppala, Eastern Michigan University
Thursday, October 1, 2026
12:00 PM - 12:05 PM (EDT)	Day 3 Welcome Janet Leppala, Eastern Michigan University
12:05 PM - 12:50 PM (EDT)	Plenary Session: Reimagining Research Integrity at Emory: From Misconduct Response to Institutional Culture Transformation Deepika Bhatia, Emory Maria Davila, Emory University Moderator: Dusty Layton, University of South Alabama
12:50 PM - 12:55 PM (EDT)	Sponsor Session: Huron
12:55 PM - 1:05 PM (EDT)	Break
1:05 PM - 2:05 PM (EDT)	Breakout A: The Messy Middle: Interim Controls for Active Research During Research Misconduct Proceedings Rick Gemeinhart, University of Illinois Chicago Valerie Hilgren, University of Illinois Chicago Libby Tempel, Huron Consulting Group Amy Waltz, Indiana University Moderator: Maria Palazuelos Jorganes, Temple University Moderator: Janet Leppala, Eastern Michigan University	Breakout B: Lessons learned from AI: A case study on allegations of AI use Mariette Marsh, University of Arizona Moderator: Michael Centola, University of Connecticut
2:05 PM - 2:20 PM (EDT)	Break
2:20 PM - 3:15 PM (EDT)	ARIO Board & Special Interest Group Update Tracy Wilson-Holden, ARIO President, University of Akron Michelle R. Staudt, ARIO Treasurer, University of Oklahoma Health Campus
3:15 PM - 3:25 PM (EDT)	Break
3:25 PM - 4:25 PM (EDT)	Breakout A: Navigating International Collaborations and Research Integrity: Addressing the unique challenges and best practices for maintaining research integrity in a global, cross-cultural context Alison Antes, Washington University School of Medicine Jesus Bautista-Garrido, Houston Methodist Research Institute Sonia Chawla, Wayne State University James DuBois, Washington University in St. Louis Moderator: Maria Palazuelos Jorganes, Temple University	Breakout B: RCR Administrator Professional Development to Foster Cultures of Integrity Jin-Yu Chen, Baylor College of Medicine Audrey Birgin, University of Maryland, College Park Christopher DiTeresi, George Mason University Christopher Lehmann, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Heather McFadden, University of Wisconsin-Madison Julie Simpson, University of New Hampshire Moderator: Danielle Rintala, University of Minnesota
4:25 PM - 4:30 PM (EDT)	Closing Comments & Wrap-Up Jamie Mohler, ARIO Vice President, Purdue University

Time Zone: (UTC-04:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) []

2026 Conference Sessions