Recent News – old page

The PREPARE study team had the exciting opportunity to showcase their work at the 2nd African Workshop on Women and HIV, in Nairobi, Kenya. The team presented two research posters that highlighted key study findings. The first poster focused on … Read more

Bioethics from the Global South Bioethics from the Global South was published in mid-January 2025 by Springer. The editors, Lillian Omutoko and Walter Jaoko, are graduates of the Advancing Research Ethics in Southern Africa (ARESA) program, an NIH-funded master’s program collaboratively … Read more

Mara Buchbinder is lead author, and Kavita Arora is second author, of a new co-authored article in Social Science & Medicine.

Co-led by UNC School of Medicine’s David Y. Hwang, MD, newly released updated guidelines from the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) reveal how family centered care for adult ICUs is paramount and an invaluable approach.

Dr. Kavita Arora is quoted in “Why are young women opting to be sterilized?” from Deseret News.

In a recent episode of the Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center Pediatric Ethics Podcast, Tyler Clay, who previously served as co-leader of CEDG, shared insights from his new publication, “A Narrative Approach to Assent in Pediatrics,” which was featured in the … Read more

Kavita Arora was one of four Carolina recipients of the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Mara Buchbinder has been named chair of the department of social medicine. Dr. Buchbinder will assume the role on February 1.

Stuart Rennie, PhD, is a professor in social medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine Center of Bioethics. His current work focuses on research ethics, public health ethics, and medical ethics, particularly in the context of the … Read more

This post by Rimma Osipov reflects on the mentorship and support the Center for Bioethics can offer learners (students, residents and others). Rohit Jaswaney, Rimma Ossipov and Anissa Berger in front of Rohit’s poster at ICCEC. In May I joined … Read more

Jill A. Fisher is a co-author on a new letter in The Lancet: “Declaration of Helsinki’s missed opportunity for healthy volunteer trials.” The authors “applaud the Declaration of Helsinki,” but suggest that it “does not go far enough” when mentioning … Read more

Douglas MacKay was part of the NIH Ethics Grand Rounds: The Ethics of Randomized Policy Experiments on November 20. MacKay presented with Dean Karlan (Northwestern University). Watch The Ethics of Randomized Policy Experiments

On November 11, Rami Major joined the Center for Bioethics as a Postdoctoral Fellow.  Rami has a background ranging from the tiniest creatures to the biggest ethical questions. We’re excited to have her join us and we look forward to … Read more

Tiwonge Mtande and Theresa Burgess at the ARESA annual seminar in Cape Town. The Advancing Research Ethics in Southern Africa (ARESA) Bioethics Leadership Program is proud to announce its latest graduates. Tiwonge Mtande is currently a Research Ethics Committee Analyst … Read more

R. Jean Cadigan is a co-author on a new article in Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics. In “Ready, Set, Sort! A User-Guide to Card Sorts for Community-Engaged Empirical Bioethics,” the authors demonstrate the “fruitfulness of using card … Read more

Rami Major with her poster at ASHG 2024. Rami Martina Major presented the poster “A stakeholder informed ethical framework for epigenetic editing” at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) annual meeting. The abstract, co-authored by Major, Arlene Davis and … Read more

Mara Buchbinder is the first author on a new commentary article in Chest: “Organizational Resilience: A Systems-Based Approach for Addressing the Workforce Crisis in Intensive Care.” The researchers propose a novel, systems-based approach to addressing burnout, with a focus on … Read more

Rebecca L. Walker is the author of chapter 41, “Physicians and Punishment: Ethics beyond oaths and codes” in The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Punishment, ed. Jesper Ryberg. Abstract: Despite orientation to goals that are in deep tension, medicine … Read more

Stuart Rennie is the first author on a new article in Public Health Ethics: “Ethics of Mathematical Modeling in Public Health: The Case of Medical Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention in Africa.” The authors call for greater research and reflection … Read more

Stuart Rennie is a co-author on a new article in Research Ethics: “Exploring views of South African research ethics committees on pandemic preparedness and response during COVID-19.” The authors did in-depth interviews to explore the views of South African research … Read more

The recording of Eric Meslin’s talk “How Artificial Intelligence Might Save Bioethics (And it’s not how you think)” is available now! Watch How Artificial Intelligence Might Save Bioethics

by Brittany Phillips, UNC Health Publishing in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine researchers delve into the perspectives of community and academic providers on the role of biologics and food allergy. This study was led by … Read more

Jill A. Fisher and Maral Erol are co-authors, with colleague Edwin H. Kim, on a new article in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The researchers interviewed providers in community practice or academic medical centers. They asked providers about “their … Read more

Since the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 18 states have put functional abortion bans in place. New research fills a gap in understanding impacts on physicians after these bans. Mara Buchbinder, Kavita … Read more

Margaret Waltz and Jonathan S. Berg are co-authors, with colleagues, on a new article in Genetics in Medicine. The researchers “investigated associations between GBMM [group-based medical mistrust]” and perceptions of a specialty care appointment. The study includes perspectives from caregivers … Read more

In new research in AJOB Empirical Bioethics, Jean Cadigan and co-authors interviewed networked biobank representatives. Using thematic analysis, they share how the representatives “describe three topics associated with stewarding biobank resources.” The three topics are funding, utlitzation and sustainability. Cadigan … Read more

In the AMA Journal of Ethics, Rebecca Walker shares a case and commentary on nonhuman animals used in human-centered science. The article “considers the ethical tension” between justifications for using nonhuman animals in research that benefits humans. Importantly, the commentary … Read more

Arlene Davis is a co-author, with Heidi Davis and Alex Toledo, on a new correspondence piece out in The Lancet. The authors are working on the physician section of the Lancet Commission on the Emotional Determinants of Health project. “Medical … Read more

from UNC Research, by Carleigh Gabryel

In order of left to right in the PREPARE team picture: Dr. Suzanne Day, Hadas Baron, Dr. Rita Masese, Dr. Anne Lyerly The PREPARE (PRomoting Equity for Pregnant Adolescents in REsearch) research team participated in AIDS 2024, the 25th Annual AIDS … Read more

by Anissa Berger Congratulations to the first cohort of residents on the completion of our Clinical Ethics (CE) Pathway: Ghallia Kaouk, Calvin Gross and Rohit Jaswaney! Get to know the cohort Gallia Kaouk, M.D. Ghallia earned her medical degree from … Read more

by Aurora Washington I feel that this was a short yet productive two years. I participated in multi-disciplinary research projects in my areas of interest: biotechnology, autism, neurotissue engineering, genetics and artificial intelligence (AI). I built scholarly connections on campus … Read more

Bioethics Forum Essay “Was This Job Market Study Ethical?”, Douglas MacKay, PhD, and Katherine Saylor, PhD, address concerns on a recent job market study conducted on Twitter that raised ethical questions on the Hastings Bioethics Forum.

On May 30, Savithri Nageswaran, MBBS, MPH, presented “Collaborative Decision Making: A Useful Model to Guide Families About Life-Sustaining Treatments for Children with Medical Complexity” as the Annual Pediatric Visiting Ethics Scholar. The recording is now available. WATCH COLLABORATIVE DECISION … Read more

Supporting OB-GYNs practicing in states with abortion restrictions just got a little easier, thanks to new recommendations published in JAMA. Kavita S. Arora and Mara Buchbinder are co-authors, with Erika L. Sabbath (Boston College, Harvard University), on a new Viewpoint … Read more

To raise awareness and assist couples with job searches, UNC-Chapel Hill researchers launched an evidence-based tool showing how research-intensive institutions rank in partner hiring – providing insights on where they may be excelling and where they may be deficient. Jill … Read more

Anne Drapkin Lyerly, MD, MA, “Ethics and Research in Pregnancy–A Shifting Paradigm” Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics Hot Topics in Research Ethics Webinar Series

Karen Meagher, PhD – ELSI and the Virome: Bugs, Drugs, and Precision Viral Care.  

Elaine Hsieh, Ph.D., J.D. Communicating Across Cultures: Why Our Traditional Approaches May Fail to Inform and Empower Patients

In 1978, psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes published a paper about highly successful and well-educated women who considered themselves “imposters.” The women whom the psychologists spoke to believed that they weren’t intelligent and didn’t deserve their high-ranking roles … Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Doctors who care for pregnant women say abortion laws are already impacting patients and physicians. Some worry that if stricter laws go into effect in North Carolina, fewer top-quality doctors will choose to practice in the … Read more

After a distinguished career at the forefront of bioethics, Professor Eric Juengst, PhD, is set to embark on a well-deserved retirement. Although stepping back from his full-time role, Dr. Juengst will continue as an emeritus professor, maintaining the flexibility to … Read more

The Hastings Center is pleased to announce the election of the 2023 fellows. Hastings Center fellows are a group of more than 200 individuals of outstanding accomplishment whose work has informed scholarship and public understanding of complex ethical issues in health, health … Read more

The 10th Biennial Conference of the Society for Humanities, Social Science, and Medicine ADVOCACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY: NAVIGATING THE BOUNDARIES OF MODERN MEDICINE April 13th & 14th, 2024, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill   The National Conference for Physician-Scholars … Read more

When women with chronic diseases, such as epilepsy, diabetes or lupus, decide to start or grow a family, they may face anxieties and decisions far beyond what others experience during these stages of life. Too often these women must weigh … Read more

Emma Hergenrother and Emma Kaplan have been selected as the new student leaders for the School of Medicine’s  Clinical Ethics Discussion Group This position also entails appointment to the UNC Hospital Ethics Committee. Outgoing leaders are Mary Kaufman and Kelsey Rich. Center … Read more

This Tar Heal Tuesday, we invite you to be a vital part of supporting the UNC Center for Bioethics in its mission to promote ethical practices in research and health care. Your contribution will directly impact the research initiatives, educational … Read more

AVAC’s latest Px Pulse podcast episode, Pregnant and Lactating People in HIV Research: What you need to know, will be released on Monday, November 6. Featuring Dr. Anne Drapkin Lyerly of UNC Center for Bioethics and PHASES Project, Dr. Ashley … Read more

This collection of oral histories takes one step – of many possible – to address this question. The 1960s and 1970s were pivotal decades during which the number of underrepresented minority medical students increased significantly from about 1% to about … Read more

Jill Fisher won the 2023 Sociology of Sex and Gender Distinguished Article Award from the American Sociological Association for her co-authored paper “Gendered Logics of Biomedical Research: Women in U.S. Phase I Clinical Trials” that was published in 2022 in the journal Social … Read more

Dr. Aurora Washington of UNC Bioethics, and Dr. Rebekah Layton of the UNC School of Education, were the focus of an article on their work advising students from historically excluded groups on networking, mentoring, and career planning. Read how Dr. … Read more

Dr. Jill A. Fisher is the recipient of a three-year grant from the National Library of Medicine (NIH) to support the writing of a scholarly book on the medicalization and pharmaceuticalization of food allergies. Tentatively titled “Challenging Allergies: The Search … Read more

Three members of the Clinical Ethics Discussion Group showcased their research at the AOE Evening of Scholarship in June. Medical students Matt Washko, Reece Carter, and Celia Mizelle developed an innovative study exploring first-year medical students’ perception of their fundamental … Read more

Keymanthri Moodley & Stuart Rennie Stuart Rennie, PhD, and Keymanthri Moodley, PhD, co-PI’s of the Research for Ethical Data Science in Southern Africa (REDSSA) project, a collaboration between the UNC Center for Bioethics and Stellenbosch University in South Africa, served … Read more

PROMPT Bioethics Study Team, Ann Dennis, MD, MS, Suzanne Day, PhD, MA; Stuart Rennie, PhD; and Kristen Sullivan, PhD. The Dennis Research Group in the School of Medicine has released a new white paper titled, “Revitalizing Community Engagement in the … Read more

The Bioethicists of tomorrow are being reached today! Members of the UNC Center for Bioethics in conjunction with the undergraduate students of the UNC Bioethics Society recently held two student-centric events that cultivated academic interest in bioethics studies. On April … Read more

Mara Buchbinder, PhD was interviewed for Joe Killian’s article for The Progressive Pulse “More important than ever” UNC Panel talks faith and abortion. Dr. Buchbinder was the moderator for the final spring installment of the Abbey Speaker Series to discuss the … Read more

Suicide is a leading cause of death globally and the rate of suicide is rising in the Americas more than any other region of the world. Suicide prevention legislation and policies are often proposed as a way reduce (or even … Read more

Members of the PRomoting Equity for Pregnant Adolescents in Research (PREPARE) team recently returned from a trip to Botswana and Malawi. This study is led by Principal Investigators (PI) Anne Lyerly, MD, MA, and Kristen Sullivan, PhD, MSW, MBA, of … Read more

Anne Lyerly, MD was interviewed by NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe to talk about how hospital ethics boards are being invoked when a patient requires a medical exception to an abortion ban.

The UNC Provost’s Office has awarded Jill Fisher a Senior Faculty Research and Scholarly Leave for the Fall Semester of 2023. Fisher will work on writing a book manuscript from her research on pediatric food allergy clinical trials. These leaves … Read more

Annie Lyerly has been elected as a new fellow of the Hastings Center.  Hastings Center fellows are a group of more than 200 individuals of outstanding accomplishment whose work has informed scholarship and public understanding of complex ethical issues in … Read more

A project led by Mara Buchbinder, PhD, released a set of 12 recommendations for hospitals and health care institutions addresses moral stress in clinical practice and the ways that it impedes good care.

Watch the webinar “Pregnant and Lactating Populations in Research: How Leaving These Populations Out Leaves Them Behind,” to hear about how exclusion of pregnant and lactating populations in research has resulted in an inability to support them – and what … Read more

UNC Chapel Hill’s Program for Public Discourse will begin 2023 with public discussions of affirmative action in university admissions and abortion – two divisive social issues, one now before the Supreme Court and the other a renewed battleground in state … Read more

If you missed the Health Policy & Bioethics Consortium, “Treating Healthy Clinical Trial Participants Fairly,” it is available on The Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics YouTube channel. The consortium was moderated by Benjamin Silverman, MD, with discussants Holly Fernandez … Read more

Mary Kaufmann and Kelsey Rich have been selected as the new student leaders for the School of Medicine’s  Clinical Ethics Discussion Group This position also entails appointment to the UNC Hospital Ethics Committee. Outgoing leaders are Konan Beke and Celia Mizelle. … Read more

Mara Buchbinder, PhD, recently sat down with the GeriPal podcast for a discussion on two of the most controversial and hotly debated topics in bioethics: assisted dying and abortion. Dr. Buchbinder, along with Robert Brody, MD, and researcher Lori Freedman, … Read more

Congratulations to Annie Lyerly, who was just elected to the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, a wonderful honor and recognition of her immense scholarly contributions to medical ethics, women’s health, and reproductive medicine.

Rebecca L. Walker was part of the latest installment of the Parr Center’s Ethical Dilemma series with TED-Ed, this time on the value of a life with bioethicist.

Dr. Aurora M Washington recently joined UNC-CH Social Medicine department as a postdoctoral fellow in clinical ethics and the ethical, legal and social implications of precision medicine. Aurora earned her B.S in Biology from Tougaloo College where she was a … Read more

Margaret Waltz, PhD, of the UNC Department of Social Medicine and the UNC Center for Bioethics, was recently honored with the School of Medicine Dean’s Performance Award. The award is given out every year to individuals within the UNC School … Read more

Waltz developed and implemented multiple innovative methodologies with the goal of translating research results to improving patient care and medical trainee education. First, Waltz created a method using audio recordings to analyze patient and provider communication during pediatric genetics and … Read more

The UNC Center for Bioethics is proud to launch a new ambassadorship between the Center and the undergraduate students of UNC-Chapel Hill. The new Bioethics Student Liaison position has been created to make the student population more aware of the … Read more

Elena Conis, PhD, MS, MJ, is a writer and historian of medicine, public health, and the environment at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. Her current research focuses on scientific controversies, science denial, and the … Read more

The project is entitled Utilizing a Lupus Clinical Trials Network to Advance Diversity and Representation in Clinical Trials: Perspectives, Preferences, and Unmet Needs of Patients, Providers, and Stakeholder Agencies. The research team will leverage novel data sources to advance evidence … Read more

UNC Center for Bioethics core faculty member Jean Cadigan, Ph.D., along with a multidisciplinary team of researchers from across the country, was recently awarded an R01 grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH entitled, Beyond the Medical: … Read more

UNC Center for Bioethics is pleased to see our core faculty member Jill Fisher, Ph.D., has been awarded the 2022 Donald W. Light Award for Applied or Public Practice of Medical Sociology for her book Adverse Events: Race, Inequality, and … Read more

The Center for Bioethics will host The 2022 Merrimon Lecture Series. Our first speaker is Elena Conis, Ph.D. on September 9th. The 45th Merrimon Lecture speaker is Heidi J. Larson, Ph.D. will be on September 14th. Finally, Perri Klass, M.D. … Read more

Jill Fisher explains how clinical drug trials attract disproportionate participation by racial and ethnic minorities who then disproportionately assume risks of participating in these trials, often just to stay financially afloat.  

The Center appreciates the Foundation’s support in hosting a two-day event in October 2022. The event focuses on issues related to culture, language, and health care. The event includes 2 lectures (hybrid) under our Clinical Ethics Grand Rounds series. In … Read more

I was fortunate to have a post-tenure research leave during the spring 2022 semester. I used the time away from teaching and service to complete a few projects which had been slowed by the pandemic, including a paper with Ali … Read more

Hadas is a Research Project Manager for the Center for Bioethics for PRomoting Equity for Pregnant Adolescents in REsearch (PREPARE; aka PHASES Adolescence) and Framework for Advances in Reprogenomics Ethics & Regulation (FAIRER). She is an MPH graduate of Global … Read more

Save the date! On March 29 Tar Heels around the world are going to give back and pay it forward. Join us for #GiveUNC and help support the causes that make Carolina a place like no other.   Click here … Read more

Jill Fisher chaired the NIH Continuous Special Emphasis Panel on Societal and Ethical Issues in Research (SEIR) study section in June and December 2021 and will chair the March 2022 meeting. The Continuous Special Emphasis Panel on Societal and Ethical … Read more

Rebecca L. Walker, PhD and Jill A. Fisher, PhD from the Department of Social Medicine have published a new survey that identifies how researchers using vertebrate animals viewed issues of significance for translational science. Rebecca L. Walker, PhD, at left, … Read more

The UNC Provost’s Office has awarded Eric Juengst a Kenan Foundation-supported university sabbatical for the Spring Semester of 2022. Juengst will pursue research exploring the revival of scientific interest in “good” human genes, by examining different forms of beneficial genomic … Read more

The Hastings Center recently announced the election of 24 new fellows, which include Jill A. Fisher, PhD and Rebecca L. Walker, PhD in the UNC Department of Social Medicine. Jill A. Fisher, PhD and Rebecca L. Walker, PhD The Hastings … Read more

In Paul Thacker’s article for BMJ Investigation “Covid-19: Researcher blows the whistle on data integrity issues in Pfizer’s vaccine trial,” he outlined poor practices uncovered by a whistleblower at a research company that was contracted to conduct Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine trial. In … Read more

Reece Carter and Matt Washko have been selected as the new student leaders for the School of Medicine’s  Clinical Ethics Discussion Group This position also entails appointment to the UNC Hospital Ethics Committee. Outgoing leaders are Konan Beke and Celia Mizelle. … Read more

Annie Lyerly and Kristen Sullivan have been awarded an R01 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) to develop empirically informed guidance for conducting ethically responsible HIV/co-infections research with pregnant adolescents.  Pregnant adolescents face synergistic challenges in … Read more

Mara Buchbinder has launched the Study to Examine Physicians’ Pandemic Stress (STEPPS) with funding from the Greenwall Foundation and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified ongoing stress, overwork, and disillusionment among the healthcare … Read more

The Research for Ethical Data Science in Southern Africa (REDSSA) project has the overall aims of producing new knowledge regarding the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of conducting data science research to develop evidence-based, context specific guidance for the … Read more

Jill Fisher has recently been awarded a 3-year grant from the National Science Foundation that is focused on university hiring practices for and job market experiences of dual-career academics. With long-time research collaborator Prof. Torin Monahan, this Co-PI project will … Read more

With funding from the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Jill Fisher is conducting a research study on pediatric clinical trials for food allergies, focusing primarily on peanut allergy. Using ethnographic research methods, the project investigates the … Read more

Professor Jill A. Fisher’s book, Adverse Events Race, Inequality, and the Testing of New Pharmaceuticals has been awarded the prestigious Robert K. Merton Book Award. The award, given by the Science, Knowledge, and Technology Section of the American Sociological Association. … Read more

Rohit Jaswaney is an intern in the UNC Pediatric Residency Program. He is a graduate of  New York Medical College. Rohit has been a research collaborator with UNC’s Center for Bioethics and the Department of Social Medicine since the summer … Read more

2020 was a strange summer to start medical school. In order to help incoming students adjust, meet their peers, and learn about UNC School of Medicine, rising MS2 students created “Summer Seminars” based on a wide variety of topics. After … Read more