Recent highlights
- Dr. Syed Husaini Featured in Forbes Article on the Bioethical Implications of Pluribus
Dr. Syed Husaini was recently interviewed by Forbes.com for an article exploring the bioethical implications of Apple TV’s Emmy-nominated series Pluribus. The series imagines a world in which an alien virus unites nearly all of humanity into a single collective consciousness.
Dr. Husaini’s research on the neurobiology of human selfhood, free will, moral agency, and neurorights made him a valuable expert for the article. Through a partnership with, WellBeings.org, Forbes explored the thought-provoking question of what an actual human “hive mind” could mean for individuality, autonomy, moral responsibility, and society.
What Would An IRL ‘Pluribus’ Hive Mind Mean For The World?
- Dr. Matthew Vest received the 2026 Division Excellence in Teaching Award from the College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy Division of Bioethics.
- Dr. Dana Howard received the College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy's 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award. This is in recognition of significant contributions to the teaching and educational mission of the Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy.
- Dr. Abraham Graber, Assistant Director for Bioethics Undergraduate Programs, and a Bioethics undergraduate minor student had their work published in Pediatric Research (Popular protocol or evidence-based practice: a reassessment of “Eat, Sleep, Console”)
- Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas was recently on a grand rounds panel on gene therapy and sickle cell disease.
- Drs. Scheinerman and Howard spoke at an AI conference in Japan in March 2026.
Dana Howard - "AI is Not Your Medical Advisor”.
Naomi Scheinerman - "AI Genetics and Genomics: Charting its Ethical and Political Trajectory”
More about Bioethics
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Shameka Poetry Thomas, PhD, assistant professor of Biomedical Education and Anatomy and founder of the Sickle Cell Women and Girls Research Lab in the Division of Bioethics, has been awarded a 2026-2027 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Jamaica to research “Sickle Cell Disease and Reproductive Health Among Women and Girls: A Comparative Analysis Between Jamaica, Ghana, and the United States.” More details can be found here.
Dr. Naomi Scheinerman was quoted in "Could AI replace your doctor? Experts share serious ethical concerns" in Akron Beacon Journal/Signal Akron (March 15, 2026).
Dr. Ryan Nash quoted in “Some patients with a rare disease face hurdles getting the only treatment” in Medical Xpress. (May 1, 2023)
Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin was one of 14 proposals selected for an Outreach and Engagement grant. She is going to continue her work on EOL planning in the Muslim-American community. 2023 Outreach and Engagement Funded Impact Grant Proposals | Outreach and Engagement, The Ohio State University.
Shameka Thomas and an assistant professor who is an OSUWMC hematologist were featured in Ohio State Health & Discovery. The two faculty will submit an R01 grant for their work in June 2026.
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Books
Scheinerman, Naomi. Regulating the Revolution: Democratic Deliberation and Biotechnology. Chapel Hill, NC:The University of North Carolina Press,October 2026.
Vest, Matthew. Ethics Lost in Modernity: Reflections on Wittgenstein and Bioethics. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2023.
Book Chapters
Scheinerman, N. "Genetic Counseling Ethics and New Technologies: The Problem of Exploitation." The Oxford Handbook for Genetic Counseling. Oxford: New York, in press 2024.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Thomas, S. P. (2026). Coercive Sterilization: Ethical Concerns on the Complex Overlap of Sickle Cell Disease and Reproductive Health, The American Journal of Bioethics, DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2026.2692313 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15265161.2026.2692313
Eadie, A.L., Lynch, H.F., Scheinerman, N. et al. (2026). Advancing FDA New Approach Methodologies from animal models through digital twins. npj Digit. Med. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02476-x
Howard, Dana (2024). The Common Good According to Whom? Journal of Moral Philosophy 21 (1-2):191-202.
Thomas, S. P., Fletcher, F. E., Willard, R., Ranson, T. M., & Bonham, V. L. (2024). Patient Perceptions on the Advancement of Noninvasive Prenatal Testing for Sickle Cell Disease among Black Women in the United States. AJOB empirical bioethics, 1–10. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/23294515.2024.2302996
Brown, J. and Howard, D., (2023). The Importance of Defining Actionability as Related to Disclosure of Secondary Findings Identified in Research. The American Journal of Bioethics, 22(10), pp.93-95.
Graber, A., & Graber, J. (2023). Applied Behavior Analysis and the Abolitionist Neurodiversity Critique: An Ethical Analysis. Behavior analysis in practice, 16(4), 1–17. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00780-6
Gooch, G., & Graber, A. (2023). Compulsory vaccination protects autonomy. Journal of medical ethics, jme-2023-109426. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2023-109426
McCarthy, A. M., & Howard, D. (2023). Supported Decision-Making: Non-Domination Rather than Mental Prosthesis. AJOB neuroscience, 14(3), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/21507740.2021.1973147
O’Mathúna, Dónal; Smith, Julia ; Zadvinskis, Inga M. ; Monturo, Cheryl ; Kelley, Marjorie M. ; Tucker, Sharon ; Miller, Pamela S. ; Norful, Allison A. ; Zellefrow, Cindy & Chipps, Esther (2023). Ethics and frontline nursing during COVID-19: A qualitative analysis. Nursing Ethics 30 (6):803-821.
Richards, N., Fried, M., Svirsky, L., Thomas, N., Zettler, P. J., & Howard, D. (2023). Clinician Perspectives on Opioid Treatment Agreements: A Qualitative Analysis of Focus Groups. AJOB empirical bioethics, 1–12. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/23294515.2023.2274606
Scheinerman, N. 2023. Public Engagement Through Inclusive Deliberation: The Human Genome International Commission and Citizens’ Juries. The American Journal of Bioethics; 23(12): 66-76.
Scheinerman, N. 2023. Deliberative Mini-Publics and Equity: Procedural Benefits and Promising Outcomes for Gene Editing. The American Journal of Bioethics; 23(7): 74-76.
Scheinerman, N. & Callahan, KP. 2023. Legal Discrepancies and Expectations of Women: Abortion, Fetal Therapy, and NICU Care. Hastings Center Report; 53(2):36-43.
Larisa Svirsky, Dana Howard & Micah L. Berman (2023) E-Cigarettes, the FDA, Public Health, and Harm Reduction: A Response to the Open Peer Commentaries, The American Journal of Bioethics, 23:1, W1-W4, DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2022.2134503O’Mathúna D, et al. “Ethics and frontline nursing during COVID-19: a qualitative analysis.” Nursing Ethics. Epub 27 March 2023.
Larisa Svirsky, Dana Howard & Micah L. Berman (2023) E-Cigarettes, the FDA, Public Health, and Harm Reduction: A Response to the Open Peer Commentaries, The American Journal of Bioethics, 23:1, W1-W4, DOI: 10.1080/15265161.2022.2134503
Meurer A. Uneasy alliance: pediatric shared decision-making and maltreatment. Pediatric Ethicscope. Spring-Fall 2022;34(1-2).MA student John LoCurto, JD recently published an article, “Medicare Advantage? If You Say So. Fraud, Waste, And Abuse In Medicare Part C” in The Journal of Healthcare Ethics & Administration.
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Conference on Medicine and Religion
March 22-24, 2026
Martin Fitzgerald
Spectacular Bioethics: Guy Debord, the Society of the Spectacle, and the Odd Position of Modern Clinical Ethics ConsultationMatthew Vest
The Prophetic Voice of Principlism? Or, Can the Scientific Voice Ever Prophecy?Asma Mobin-Uddin, Matthew Vest, Arshia Madni (MA student), and Courtney Thiel
Holding Space for the Sacred: Welcoming Scholarly Engagement with Religion in Bioethics Education, Research, and Clinical ConsultationAbraham Graber, Mackenzie Peterson (undergraduate minor student), and Ethan Detrick
Objective Standard of Medical Judgment: A Myth of (Texas) Abortion LawLuke Batt (MA student)
The Web of Identity: Reframing Identity and Moral Obligation in Dementia CareEthan Schimmoeller (alumnus)
AI and Moral Skill in Medicine: Toward an Apologia for Sympathizing with Human WeaknessPeter Katz (alumnus)
Grappling with Vulnerability: MacIntyre in the Jiujitsu Gym and the BedsideStudents, alumni, and faculty, let us know if you are attending CMR and want to connect. Contact Professor Courtney Thiele at Courtney.Thiele@osumc.edu.
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MA student John LoCurto, JD published an article, “Medicare Advantage? If You Say So. Fraud, Waste, And Abuse In Medicare Part C” in The Journal of Healthcare Ethics & Administration.
Congratulations to MA Bioethics alumna, Stephanie DiFilippo-King, who recently completed her Doctor of Professional Studies in Clinical Ethics at Albany Medical College.
Congratulations to MA Bioethics alumna, Eileen Phillips, who recently completed her Doctorate of Bioethics at Loyola University.