Gretchen Parker, PhD, RAC, CIP

Co-Chair Board Member

Dr. Gretchen Parker serves as Pearl IRB’s co-chair and provides regulatory and clinical research support and medical writing services for Pearl Pathways’ clients. Throughout her career, she has been involved in regulatory affairs, clinical research, medical writing, and publication services for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. After completing her Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Dr. Parker began her career as a Regulatory and Compliance Analyst at a consulting firm, where she worked with clients, ranging from biotech start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, to plan and implement regulatory strategies, submissions, and research protocols. Her duties engaged her with several US governmental agencies, including FDA, USDA, DOS, and EPA. Prior to joining Pearl Pathways, she worked as a Clinical Affairs Medical Writer for Optum, a leading IT-enabled health services business. Her scope of responsibilities included authoring publications and creating scientific and marketing communications for use by her clients across the product development lifecycle from early stage to post commercialization.

Dr. Parker is Regulatory Affairs Certified (RAC) and a Certified IRB Professional (CIP). As a member of Pearl IRB, Dr. Parker assumes responsibilities for day-to-day operations and reviewing human clinical study protocols to ensure the best interests of patients, study sponsors, and research institutions are protected.

Dr. Parker received a Ph.D. in Molecular Endocrinology and Biochemistry from Purdue University, and completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine Center for Diabetes Research. She has published dozens of scientific articles in major peer-reviewed journals, holds a patent for a diagnostic assay, and is a member of PRIM&R, Public Research in Medicine and Research.