Tonya Ferraro, MEd

Tonya Ferraro, MEd is the Accreditation Policy Analyst at AAHRPP. She holds a BA in Studio Art (Sculpture) from Northeastern University, an interdisciplinary MEd in Research Methodology from the University of Vermont, and completed a Bioethics Fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Before joining AAHRPP, she held senior roles in IRB quality assurance/quality improvement (QA/QI) and IRB administration at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard University, where she led research ethics education initiatives and outreach. Earlier in her career, Tonya served as a Research Project Manager at the University of Vermont’s Health Behavior Research Center, developing technologies to enhance patient engagement and data quality across behavioral research.

An active contributor to the research ethics profession, Tonya co-chaired PRIM&R’s Social, Behavioral, and Educational Research (SBER) Conferences in 2023 and 2025. She continues to support PRIM&R through its Education Advisory Group, multiple conference planning committees, and the Diversity Advisory Group. Through Harvard Catalyst, she also serves on the Emerging Technologies, Ethics & Research, and QA/QI subcommittees. Tonya also brings community-engaged leadership to her work. During her tenure as a board member of Boston Korean Adoptees, Inc., she created a nationwide research-literacy program developed by and for adoptees, an initiative recognized by the Korean Ministry of Health’s National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) and Boston Children’s Hospital. Drawing on a background that spans the arts, research ethics, and innovative technology implementation, Tonya applies a creative and analytical lens to advancing bioethical inquiry and practice in research oversight, education, and design.