After graduating with my PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology, I searched for opportunities to better understand the intersections of science with society. The perfect position arose as a joint postdoc between three incredible UNC programs: the Center for Bioethics, the Program in Precision Medicine and Healthcare, and the ELSI@UNC Center.
As a PhD student, I had already collaborated with many of the folks in the Center for Bioethics on the Incidental Enhancement project, helping guide our team through the technical aspects of gene editing while learning how to conduct qualitative research. I began my postdoc in November 2024, excited to dive deeper into bioethics and learn more about clinical ethics. I was able to expand on some earlier project ideas related to my interests in emerging technology, writing a piece on the ethics of epigenome editing currently under review that I’ll also have the chance to present on with colleagues for an “Ethics of Omics” panel at the ASBH Annual Meeting. While working as a postdoc, a paper from my dissertation on the ethics of prenatal gene editing was published. I was able to leverage my newfound connections through the Center to have conversations with the providers who would be at the frontline of future implementation of this technology, presenting my work to genetic counselors, MFM doctors, the Carolina Women’s Center, and the North American Fetal Therapy Network’s Ethics Committee. I got to learn what the day-to-day of clinicians looks like, shadowing prenatal genetic counselors, MFM doctors, and rounding in various intensive care units, which added color to my understanding of science in action. As a trainee member of UNC Hospital’s Ethics Committee, I participated in complex research and clinical consults, learning how to integrate my scientific background with ethical decision-making in real-world situations.
My experience was not limited to observation. I also had the opportunity to venture into the clinical ethics realm of academia. I collaborated with physicians and other Center for Bioethics members on several clinical ethics projects, including evaluating a prenatal care coordination program at UNC Hospital, analyzing interviews with providers on prenatal genetic testing initiatives, and understanding how proxy decision makers are identified by trainees in the ICU. I am also working on a paper on the legal implications of emerging neuroscience advancements that will be presented this fall at the North Carolina Law Symposium.
As the Center’s postdoc, I also had the chance to connect with many passionate high schoolers, undergraduates, graduate students, and medical students to talk more about how I have integrated bioethics into my training. My path was greatly shaped by being able to have conversations with people who were doing cool things that I was interested in learning more about, and being able to have these same conversations with others trying to find their way felt incredibly full circle. I also was able to hone my teaching skills in more formal settings, crafting ethics lectures for an undergraduate biology course, a nursing graduate course, a law course, and several summer research programs, including EDGE and WinSPIRE.
Now, I’m transitioning to a one-year fellowship in the legislative branch, where I’ll work with a U.S. Representative or Senator on science policy initiatives as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow (STPF), sponsored by the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. I have had such a wonderful experience and will miss all of my colleagues dearly! I look forward to staying in touch to continue wrapping up some of our projects, and hope to share manuscripts in their published form soon!
Rami Major, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Associate