Shameka Poetry Thomas, PhD, MA

Shameka ThomasDepartment of Biomedical Education and Anatomy | Division of Bioethics
Assistant Professor & Provost Scholar
242 Meilings Hall
370 W. 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210

Shameka.thomas@osumc.edu

Reproductive Health, Reproductive Genetics, and Medical Sociology 

Education

  • Completed Advanced Global Health Training (2022-2023) at Harvard University, School of Public Health, Department of Global Health |with specific data collections on sickle cell disease from University of Ghana’s West African Centre of Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) | Ghana’s Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics “Sickle Cell Disease Clinic”
  • Completed Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020-2022) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
  • Received PhD (2020) with Distinguished Honors from University of Miami
  • Received MA (2015) with Honors from Georgia State University
  • Received BA (2010) Summa cum laude from Spelman College
  • Distinguished Global Health Scholar (2009) at University of California-Berkeley (UC-Berkeley)
  • Distinguished Global Health Scholar (2008) at University of South Africa-Cape Town

Research Interests

  • Maternal and Child Health Research | Reproductive Health
  • Noninvasive Prenatal Testing for Sickle Cell Disease
  • Prenatal Genetics | Reproductive Ethics
  • Sickle Cell Disease Research
  • Empirical Bioethics | Health Equity | Translational Science
  • Global Health Research – United States | Ghana, West Africa
  • Advanced Qualitative Analysis | Mixed Methods

Clinical Interests

  • Medical advisory / Ethical Consult for Sickle Cell Disease
  • Patient Perceptions of Noninvasive Prenatal Testing for Sickle Cell Disease

Other Editorial Activities

Professional Activities

  • Founder of SICKLE CELL WOMEN & GIRLS (S.W.A.G.) Research Lab (2022-Current)
  • Co-Chair of Reproductive Health Affinity Group | ASBH (2023-2025)

View research lab

Honors and Awards

  • Nominated for 40-under-40 Emerging Health Leaders in the USA

Advisory and Consulting

  • Medical Advisory Board Member of SICKLE CELL REPRODUCTIVE EDUCATION DIRECTIVE (2023- Current)

Grants and Projects

  • NIH Fogarty Training Grant (2022-2023)

Relevant Publications

  • Thomas, SP. (2025). “Expanding Translation: The Case of how Patient Perceptions and Lived Experiences of Sickle Cell Disease can Expand the Translational Justice Model.” American Journal of Bioethics.
  • Thomas, SP, PhD; Faith Fletcher, PhD, MA; Rachele Willard, BS; Tiara Ranson, BS; and Vence L. Bonham, JD. (2025). “Patient Perceptions on the Advancement of Noninvasive Prenatal Testing for Sickle Cell Disease among Black women in the United States.” American Journal of Bioethics-Empirical Bioethics.
  • Thomas, SP, PhD; Madison Alana Keller, BS; Tiara Ranson, BS; and Rachele Willard, BS. (2023) “Patient Perceptions on Noninvasive Prenatal Testing among Black Women in the United States: A Scoping Review” BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.
  • Thomas, SP, Kiana Amini, K. Jameson Floyd, Rachele Willard, Faeben Wossenseged, Madison Keller, Jamil B. Scott, Khadijah E. Abdallah, Ashley Buscetta, Vence L. Bonham, (2021). “Cultivating diversity as an ethos with an anti-racism approach in the scientific enterprise,” Human Genetics and Genomics Advances, Volume 2, Issue 4,2021,
  • Thomas, SP. (2021). “Street Race in Reproductive Health: A Phenomenological Study on the Pregnancy and Birthing Experiences among Black and Afro-Latina Women.” Journal of Maternal and Child Health.

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