Marcella Cooks, MS, CIP (she/her/hers)

Northwestern University, IL

Marcella Cooks, MS, CIP
IRB Reliance Manager
Northwestern University

Marcella Cooks has over 19 years of experience in human research protection and oversight. She began her career in the Northwestern University IRB Office before transitioning to the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute, where she supported investigators in advancing their human research while ensuring compliance with institutional and federal regulations.

In her current role as Reliance Manager, Marcella leads a team responsible for a portfolio of more than 1,500 studies requiring reliance agreements. Her team provides strategic guidance to internal and external researchers conducting multi-site studies, ensuring alignment with federal single IRB requirements and promoting efficient, compliant collaboration across institutions.

Marcella earned both her B.S. in Political Science and her M.S. in Health Communication from Northwestern University.

Presentation(s):

• C03 - Spotlight on Post-Approval Monitoring & Single IRB: What’s Working Now?

  Friday, November 7, 2025
  3:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET