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Obituary | Daniel R. Vasgird
Daniel Richard Vasgird, 74, of Lincoln, former director of the Office for Research Compliance Services, died Jan. 30.
Vasgird was born Dec. 30, 1945, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. He received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and economics, and a Master of Arts in sociology, all from the University of California, Riverside. He earned a doctorate in social psychology from Syracuse University and was a National Institute of Mental Health post-doctoral research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.
In his career, Vasgird grew to become a well-respected research conduct ethicist. He served at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for four years, from June 2005 to August 2009. Vasgird also served in leadership roles at research compliance units at West Virginia University, Columbia University, and City University of New York. He was also a senior research scientist for New York City’s Department of Health and as an associate professor at Columbia, CUNY, and the State University of New York’s Downstate Medical School.
Vasgird participated in National Institutes of Health peer review panels on research ethics and wrote and presented extensively in the areas of research ethics and human research protections.
His wife, Susan, nicknamed him “Sheriff Dan” because he strived to do the right thing and educate others about the importance of responsible conduct in research.
Along with his passion for research compliance, Vasgird was a voracious reader and loved travel, movies, music, and meaningful discussions with family, friends and colleagues.
Vasgird is survived by his wife, Susan Schenk; son, Mischa; brother, Tom (Marion) of Grass Valley, California; brother-in-law Bob (Maryann) Schenk of Brick, New Jersey; and nieces and nephews, Megan and Kevin Schenk, Teresa and Daniel Vasgird, and Natasha (William) Carreno. He was preceded in death by his parents Julia Kelso and Adolph Stanley Vasgird.
A celebration of life will be 10:30 am, Feb. 29, at Roper and Sons, 3950 Hohensee Drive, in Lincoln. Memorials in lieu of flowers to the Union of Concerned Scientists, 2 Brattle Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138-3780.
