Bante Named New Assistant Vice President for Ethics in Industry Engagement

The Office of the Vice President for Research is proud to announce the appointment of Holly Bante in the new role of Assistant Vice President for Ethics in Industry Engagement. In this position, Bante will serve as the key ethical expert and contact for all ethics activities involving research at the University of Cincinnati. 

Bante’s new role includes serving as a liaison and resource for faculty and staff among colleges, the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Research, including senior university leadership. Importantly, she will also work to develop policies, procedures and trainings designed to protect the interests of  researchers, the university, and the research enterprise as UC continues to expand its support for faculty members’ discoveries as well as commercialization.

“With her experience as a bioethicist, a faculty member and a successful administrator, Holly Bante brings an important breadth of understanding to this role,” said Pat Limbach, UC’s vice president for research. “We are confident in her skills and abilities to support faculty and researchers whose work has world-changing impact as well as to guard our institutional interests.”

Bante, who most recently served as Conflict of Interest Officer and assistant professor in the College of Medicine at UC, will oversee three main areas as assistant vice president: researcher and institutional conflicts of interest, ethics compliance and training, and ethics consultation.

“Holly has already served as an invaluable member of our team at the Office of Research through her work with faculty, researchers and doctoral students around research integrity,” Limbach said. “She has deep knowledge of our institution, its values, its challenges and its opportunities, which makes her ideal for this position, in which she will expand her efforts across the many colleges, disciplines and units that rely on the Office of Research for guidance as well as funding.”

Limbach noted that the Office for Ethics in Industry Engagement is dedicated to promoting ethical business interactions with industry, assisting faculty and staff with strategies for conflict management and supporting an environment of professional and research integrity. As scientific breakthroughs evolve into market opportunities, the launch of the Office for Ethics in Industry Engagement allows for a comprehensive and faculty-centric approach not only to managing potential conflicts and ensuring integrity in research, but also to advancing innovation.

“I am excited about this opportunity to work alongside our innovators to create effective strategies that protect the integrity of both the researcher and the university while facilitating the development of their therapeutics and devices,” Bante said. “The research of our faculty, staff and students benefits society through the transfer of university-developed knowledge to the public and private sectors. We have a responsibility to ensure that university research is not compromised or perceived as biased by business and financial considerations.”

Bante received her PhD in bioethics and healthcare ethics from St. Louis University, where she also received her master’s in public health with a focus on community health. Her other areas of expertise include nutritional sciences, biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. An alumna of the UC Women Lead leadership development program, Bante serves as the research ethicist for UC on the institution’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science Training and as the bioethicist for Hamilton County’s Public Health Department. In addition, she has overseen the review and management of financial conflicts of interest in research at the university and even co-authored a research casebook focusing on the responsible conduct of research at UC.