Debra Mathews

Debra Mathews, PhD, MA, is a Professor in the Department of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Associate Director for Research and Programs at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. She leads the Genomics and Society Mentorship Program and chairs the Berman Institute’s Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity (IDARE) Committee. As Ethics & Governance Lead for the Institute for Assured Autonomy (IAA), she focuses on ethical implications of autonomous systems. Her research addresses ethics and policy challenges in emerging technologies like genetics, stem cell science, neuroscience, synthetic biology, and AI.

Education: BS in Biology from Pennsylvania State University, PhD in Genetics and MA in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University, followed by postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins and a Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics. She has held roles at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, and National Academy of Medicine.

Research emphasizes governance frameworks for technologies like neural interfaces, regenerative medicine, and telehealth. Key contributions include co-chairing the National Academy of Medicine’s CESTI committee, developing methodologies for cross-sectoral technology governance, and advancing policies to address equity in biomedical innovation. Her work bridges academia, policy, and industry to ensure ethical and socially beneficial technology development.