As Director for Research Compliance, Diana Talerico Blanco is responsible for providing leadership and supervision of the UH System Office of Research Compliance (ORC). ORC is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local government laws and regulations, including the areas of animal research, research involving human participants, biological safety, export controls, and conflicts of interest. Blanco will serve as the Institutional Contact for Dual Use Research (ICDUR), a federally-mandated role.

Prior to her current role, Blanco served as the Animal Welfare and Biosafety Programs Manager for just under four years. During this time, the Animal Welfare Program successfully maintained accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) for two of its biomedical units, JABSOM and UH Cancer Center. During her prior 15 years, she served multiple roles for Animal and Veterinary Services, and her efforts contributed to receiving initial accreditation by AAALAC in 2016.

Blanco has over 26 years of combined experience in animal care and welfare, including 21 years in research. Blanco obtained a Masters of Laboratory Animal Science (MLAS) from Drexel University.